CAMP  AND  FIELD. 


-»•«««■>-■ 


IN  FOUR  books: 

I.  DIORAMA  OF  1862. 
II.   NEW  DISPENSATION. 
III.  OUTLOOKS  FROM  TORYTOWN. 
IV.-  GALLERY  OF  PORTRAITS. 


BY 


THE  REV.  JOS.  CROSS,  D.  D. 


MACON,    GA.  : 

BURKE,    BOYKIN    &    COMPANY 

1804. 


.**. 


CAMP  kW  FIELD. 


PAPERS  FROM  THE  PORTFOLIO 


OP    AN 


.A_R]VtY    OHA-PL^lIN 


BY 


THE  REV.  JOS.  CROSS,  D.  D. 


^m» 


MACON,    GA.: 

BURKE,  BOYKIN  &   COMPANY, 
1864.     . 


4 

Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1864,  by 

BURKE,  BOYKIN  &  COMPANY, 

in  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  Southern  Georgia. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


On  the  fourth  of  July,  1861,  the  author  of  these  Papers 
entered  the  Confederate  service  as  Chaplain  to  the  Second  Regi- 
ment of  Tennessee  Volunteers,  commanded  by  Colonel — now- 
Major  General — William  B.  Bate. 

Six  months  in  camp  and  field  on  the  lower  Potomac  furnished 
abundant  material  for  a  book.  I  returned  to  Nashville  to  put  it 
to  press.  The  publishers,  in  consideration  of  five  hundred  dollars 
paid  in  advance,  commenced  the  work  with  most  commendable 
zeal.  Early  in  February,  1862,  the  stereotype  plates  were  finished, 
and  the  last  proof-sheets  revised.  The  author  hastened  to 
rejoin  the  army  in  Virginia.  In  three  weeks,  at  most,  the  book 
was  to  follow  him. 

Alas !  there  is  nothing  certain,  but  human  uncertainty.  Fort 
Donelson  fell,  and  with  it  fell  The  Banner  of  the  Regiment. 

Messrs.  Johnson,  Rosecrans  &  Co.,  now  have  possession  of  the 
stereotype  'plates,  with  the  entire  material  and  apparatus  of 
publication.  It  is  plausibly  whispered  and  earnestly  hoped,  that 
they  intend  to  issue  the  volume  at  an  early  day,  for  the  illumi- 
nation and  edification  of  the  subjects  and  soldiers  of  Abraham 
The  First.  The  author  would  suggest  for  their  consideration — 
very  humbly,  however,  and  with  great  deference  to  their  superior 
judgment — a  long  and  elaborate  introduction  by  the  Rev.  Henry 
Ward  Beecher,  copious  and  very  erudite  foot-notes  by  the  Hon. 
Charles  A.  Sumner,  and  numerous  artistic  illustrations  in  the 
highest  style  of  the  engraver,  not  omitting  Great  Bethel,  Bull 
Run,  and  Leesburg— as  likely  to  add  no  little  to  the  interest  of 
the  work  and  the  profits  of  its  sale. 


iv  Introductory, 

Meanwhile,  he  begs  leave  to  resume  the  narrative,  interspersing 
biographical  and  characteristic  sketches  of  Confederate  officers 
and  heroes,  with  battle-scenes,  incidents  in  camp  and  field, 
interesting  hospital  experiences,  suitable  moral  reflections,  and 
occasional  dissertations  and  discourses,  which  it  is  hoped  will 
detract  nothing  from  the. merit  or  the  utility  of  the  volume. 

These  Papers  from  his  Portfolio  are  necessarily  somewhat 
fragmentary  in  form,  written  as  they  were  in  the  brief  aud 
uncertain  intervals  of  official  duty,  amid  frequent  interruptions 
and  manifold  inconveniences,  sometimes  sitting  upon  the  ground 
by  night,  with  no  light  but  the  camp-fire,  and  no  book  but  the 
Bible.  In  the  quiet  leisure  of  home,  the  wrork  would  have 
assumed  a  more  consecutive  character;  but  "what  I  have 
written,  I  have  written ;"  and  here  is  the  panorama  of  the 
Confederate  Camp  and  Field,  with  all  its  chasms  and  precipices ; 
furnishing,  perhaps,  a  truer,  though  less  artistic,  representation 
of  the  original,  than  if  the  former  had  been  filled  and  the  latter 
levelled. 

Not  aspiring  to  the  dignity  of  a  History  of  the  War,  this 
book  may  nevertheless  serve  as  a  quarry  whence  the  future 
Historian  may  obtain  some  rough  material  for  his  work.. 

A  memorial  of  Southern  chivalry  and  patriotism,  it  is  cordially 
commended  to  universal  Yankee  perusal. 


i 


BOOK  FIRST. 


DIORAMA   OF    1862 


''And  a  wind  is  on  the  wing, 
At  whose  breath  new  heroes  spring, 
Sages  teach,  and  poets  sing." 

Montgomery. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGES. 

I.     DISSOLVING  VIEWS 13 

II.     MISSISSIPPIANA 24 

III.  IN  TRANSITU 35 

IV.  HEGIRA  EXTRAORDINARY 41 

V.     INTO  KENTUCKY 50 

VI.     OUT  OF  KENTUCKY. 66 

VII.     FREDERICKSBURG 7T 

VIII.     MURFREESBORO 86 

IX.     OUR  WESTERN  CAVALIERS , 105 

X.     THE  OPEN  SEPULCHER f 119 


I. 

DISSOLVING  VIEWS. 


{FEBRUARY — APRIL,    1862.) 


*'Had  I  a  dozen  sons,  each  in  my  love  alike,  I  had  rather  had 
eleven  die  nobly  for  their  country,  than  one  voluptuously  sur- 
feit out  of  action."  Shaespbare. 

A  few  days  before  I  left  Nashville  for  the  Poto- 
mac came  sad  tidings  from  our  army  on  the  upper 
Cumberland.  Four  thousand  men  at  Fishing  Creek 
had  been  led  against  ten  thousand  in  their  entrench- 
ments ;  and  had  been  repulsed  and  routed,  with  a  loss 
of  four  hundred,  including  the  gallant  General  Zol- 
licoffer.  Three  days  after  the  first  rumor,  fugitives 
began  to  come  in,  with  terribly  exaggerated  accounts 
of  the  disaster.    The  following  are  the  principal  facts : 

A  council  of  commanding  officers  was  called  by 
•General  Crittenden.  Immediate  attack  or  ruinous 
retreat  was  deemed  the  only  alternative.  The  council 
determined  upon  the  former.  The  attempt  was  made 
on  Sunday,  the  nineteenth  of  January,  General 
Zollicoffer  Jed  the  van  with  a  desperate  charge,  driving 
the  enemy  before  him,  and  pursuing  the  rout  impe- 
tuously over  the  dying  and  the  dead.  He  had  gained 
the  crest  of  a  hill  which  was  the  stronghold  of  the 
foe,  and  had  wellnigh  dislodged  him,  when  he  fell, 
pierced  by  several  balls.  General  Crittenden  now 
B 


14  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

rode  forward,  apd  led  his  troops  to  the  charge.  The 
Tennesseeans  and  Mississippians  fought  with  Roman 
resolution.*  But  it  was  in  vain.  After  a  bitter  con- 
flict of  three  and  a  half  hours,  they  were  obliged  to 
give  way  before  the  superior  force  of  their  opponents. 
The  retreat  was  very  disastrous.  Our  troops  were 
much  demoralized,  and  scattered  in  every  direction. 
In  addition  to  four  hundred  precious  lives,  we  lost 
two  parrot  guns,  eight  six  pounders,  eight  hundred 
muskets,  one  hundred  wagons,  twelve  hundred  horses 
and  mules,  with  all  our  ammunition,  and  several 
boxes  of  arms  unopened. 

In  the  death  of  Brigadier  General  Zollicoffer,  the 
South  lost  a  brave  champion,  the  army  a  gallant 
officer,  and  Nashville  an  excellent  citizen.  The 
country  confided  in  him  as  a  friend,  and  the  soldiers 
•deplored  him  as  a  father.  During  his  long  career  as 
editor  of  a  popular  journal  and  afterward  as  a  member 
of  Congress,  he  was  the  constant  advocate  of  southern 
rights  and  the  uncompromising  supporter  of  southern 
interests.  His  body  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
but  was  subsequently  forwarded  to  his  family. 

The  disaster  of  Fishing  Creek  was  soon  followed 
by  a  greater,  the  fall  of  Fort  Henry  and  Fort 
Donelson. 

Fort  Henry  was  the  only  defence  of  any  impor- 
tance on  the  .Tennessee  River.  It  was  situated  on 
the  east  or  right  bank  of  the  stream,  not  far  from 
the  state  boundary.  On  the  morning  of  February 
the  sixth,  'General  Grant,  with  a  force  of  ten  thou- 
sand troops  and  five  or  six  gunboats,  assailed  it  by 
land  and  water.     It  was  bravely  defended  by  General 


DISSOLVING    VIEWS.  15 

Tilghman,  with  two  thousand  infantry  and  nine 
pieces  of  artillery.  The  river,  however,  was  in  flood, 
and  the  back-water  had  surrounded  the  fort.  Our 
infantrv  was  half  a  mile  distant.  The  Federals  were 
between  them  and  Fort  'Donelson.  The  only  retreat 
possible  was  up  the  river.  Tilghman,  with  his  gar- 
rison of  forty  men,  vigorously  engaged  the  gun-boats, 

►  and  thus  gave  his  troops  time  to  escape  before  Grant 
could  cut  them  off.  Our  brave  General  stood  stead- 
fast at  his  post,  pointing  the  artillery,  and  exhorting 
his  little  band,  under  a  terrific  storm  of  shot  and  shell. 
As  soon  as  he  saw  that  his  infantry  was  safe,  well 
knowing  that  further  resistance  could  result  onlv  in 
a  vain  effusion  of  blood,  he  raised  the  token  of  sur- 
render.  The  enemy,  with  three  cheers  for  the  Union, 
took  possession  ;  and  the  General,  with  his  gallant 
forty,  was  carried  away  captive  into  Babylon. 

There  was  now  great  anxiety  about  Fort  Donelson, 
on  the  Cumberland.  The  place  was  said  to  be  im- 
pregnable ;  but  the  hearts  of  those  who  better  under- 

*  stood  the  matter  trembled  with  apprehension.  The 
position  was  unfavorable,  commanded  by  the  heights 
above,  below,  and  in  the  rear.  On  the  thirteenth  of 
February,  it  was  attacked,  as  Fort  Henry  had  been, 
simultaneously  by  land  and  water.  Our  troops,  in 
their  intrench ments  awaited  the  onset  of  the  enemy, 
repulsed  them,  and  drove  them  back  two  miles  or 
more,  in  great  confusion,  and  with  serious  loss.  The 
next,  day,  the  fourteenth,  a  formidable  fleet  of  gun- 
boats made  its  appearance,  followed  by  many  trans- 
ports, laden  with  Yankee  troops.  The  ironcased 
leviathans  approached  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  and 


16  CAMP   AND   FIELD, 

began  to  vomit  fire  and  thunder  at  the  fort.     Our 
guns  replied  with  vigor.     Several  of  the  monsters 
retired,  severely  wounded.      It  was  plain,  however, 
that  our   position  was   untenable   against   so   over- 
whelming an  odds.     At  night  General  Floyd  called 
a  council  of  war.     The  result  was  a  determination 
to  evacuate  the  place  early  the  next  morning,  and 
attack  the  enemy  in  his  positions.     The  enemy,  how- 
ever, was  busy  during  the   night.     The  returning 
light  revealed  his  lines  completely  enclosing  our  little 
band  of  patriots  in  the  rear.     Every  road  was  inter- 
cepted,   and  the  Yankee  batteries  would  probably 
soon  cut  off  their  supplies  by  the  river,   with   all 
chance  of  escape.     Buckner  and  Pillow,  with  their 
respective  commands,  made   a  furious  assault,   and 
drove  the  enemy  back  with  dreadful  slaughter.     He 
massed  his  forces,  however,  and  repulsed  them.     The 
conflict  was  fierce  and  stubborn,  lasting  more  than 
two  hours.     Our  troops  were  obliged  to  give  way, 
and  the  enemy  gained  possession  of  our  trenches  on 
the  right  and  in  the  rear  of  General  Buckncr's  posi- 
tion.    Again  and  again  our  brave  boys  renewed  the 
struggle,  and  fought  with  desperate  resolution.    After 
nine  hours   of  most   bloody    work   on    both   sides, 
night   found   the   enemy    in    possession   of  all   the 
ground  that  we  had  won  in  the  morning,  occupying 
a  position  which  commanded    our  most   important 
works,  and  from  which  we  had  vainly  endeavored 
with  all  our  energy  to  dislodge  him.     He  had  been 
landing  reinforcements  during  the  day,  and  he  now- 
had  eighty-two  regiments,  numbering  nearly  or  quite 
forty  thousand  men.     Our  force  amounted  to  only 


DISSOLVING   VIEWS.  17 

thirteen  thousand,  and  of  these  we  had  lost  a  large 
number.     The  poor  fellows  had  been  in  the  trenches 
day  and  night,   without  shelter  and  without  sleep, 
covered  with  sleet  and  snow,  nearly  knee  deep  in 
mud  and  water,  from  the  beginning  of  the  contest. 
The  mercury  was  now  but  a  few  degrees  above  zero, 
and  a  bitter  storm  was  beating  upon   them.     Their 
clothes  were  stiff  with   ice,  and  many  hands  and  feet 
were  frozen.     Thus  situated,  what  hope  could  there 
be  of  a  sueeessful  renewal  of  the  combat?    Another 
council  of  commanders  Was  called.     It  was  proposed 
to  concentrate  our   forces   upon  the    right,  and  cut 
their  way  out.     General  Buckner  prudently  opposed 
the  measure      General  Floyd  thereupon  turned  over 
the  command  to  General  Pillow,  and  withdrew  with 
his  own  brigade  by  the  way  of  the  river.     General 
Pillow    immediately    passed    his   authority   over   to 
General    Buckner,   and  followed  Floyd.      Buckner, 
supposing   that  their  movement  was  an  attempt  to 
pass  through  the   enemy's  lines,  accepted  the  com- 
mand.    Soon  finding  that  they  were  gone,  he  was 
forced   to  capitulate;    and   with  five  thousand   and 
seventy-nine  of  his  soldiers,  he  was  taken  prisoner  by 
the  enemy.     The  world  has  heard  how  these  heroic 
men  were  treated  by  the  officers  of  "  the  most  be- 
neficent government  on  earth."     Meanwhile,   Floyd 
and  Pillow  were  retreating  up  tlie  river  toward  Nash- 
ville, where  they  soon  arrived  in  safety. 

The  fort  surrendered  after  a  fight  of  four  days  and 

nights,  the  severest  that  had  yet  occurred  during  the 

war.     The  small  Confederate  force  were  indifferently 

armed,  and  the  Federal  army  was  at  least  four  times 

B* 


18  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

their  number.  Floyd  estimated  our  killed  at  fifteen 
hundred,  those  of  the  enemy  at  five  thousand.  The 
statement  is  only  conjectural.  Within  the  entrench- 
ments, and  for  two  miles  without,  the  ground  was 
thickly  strewn  with  corpses,  and  the  snow  was  crimson 
with  blood.  Federals  and  Confederates  were  mingled 
promiscuously  together,  here  wildly  heaped  upon  one 
another,  and  there  grappling  each  other  in  death. 
Many  of  the  wounded  remained  two  or  three  days 
where  they  fell,  covered  with  sleet  and  snow ;  and 
some  of  them,  doubtless,  died  from  exposure  to  the 
cold. 

The  scene  which  ensued  at  Nashville  is  beyond 
all  power  of  description.  The  news  of  the  catas- 
trophe shocked  the  city  like  an  earthquake.  Univer- 
sal panic  and  confusion  followed.  The  worshipping 
assemblies  broke  up  in  the  midst  of  their  sacred 
solemnities.  Crowds  of  fugitives  were  seen  hasten- 
ing toward  the  railroad  depots.  All  the  turnpikes 
were  thronged.  Every  available  means  of  transporta- 
tion was  called  into  requisition.  Trunks  were  thrown 
from  three-story  windows  into  the  streets.  The 
army  stores  were  besieged  by  a  ravenous  mob.  Poor 
people,  black  and  white,  rushed  eagerly  upon  the 
spoil.  Huge  burdens  of  pork  and  flour  were  borne 
off  in  every  direction.  Yast  quantities  of  provision 
were  thrown  into  the  Cumberland.  Forrest  was 
obliged  to  bring  his  cavalry  to  bear  upon  the  vora- 
cious rabble,  and  jets  of  water  from  the  steam  fire- 
engine  were  employed  for  their  dispersion. 

The  actors  in  these  shameful  scenes,  however,  were 


DISSOLVING  VIEWS.  19 

only  the  more  ignorant  and  unprincipled  of  the 
populace  ;  the  drift  upon  the  stream  of  society  j 

"  The  scum 
That  rises. upmost  when  the  nation  boils" — 

chiefly  free  negroes,  Northern  adventurers,  European 
lazzaroni,  and  the  foreign  vermin  that  invest  all  our 
Southern  cities,  and  subsist  by  their  own  vices,  or 
pry  upon  the  virtues  of  the  people. 

When  the  Federals  arrived,  thev  found  no  welcome 
from  the  citizen,  no  sympathy,  except  among  these 
"lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort,"  and  the  mechanics 
and  laborers,  who  were  generally  importations  from 
Codfish-and-pumpkindom.  Our  merchant-sand  busi- 
ness men  showed  an  uncompromising  adherence  to 
the  Southern  cause.  Our  ladies  treated  the  invaders 
with  contempt  and  scorn,  spurned  them  in  the  streets, 
closed  their  doors  against  them,  and  bore  the  conse- 
quences with  a  noble  heroism.  The  story  of  their 
sufferings  must  remain  untold,  and  the  coarse  insults 
and  gross  outrages  daily  heaped  upon  them  still 
appeal  to  Heaven  for  vengeance. 

The  Second  Tennessee  Regiment,  having  unani- 
mously reen listed  for  the  war,  were  all  furloughed 
for  a  month.  With  glad  hearts  they  set  out  from 
the  Potomac,  in  three  divisions,  on  the  thirteenth, 
fourteenth  and  fifteenth  of  February,  to  visit  the 
friends  from  whom  they  had  been  so  long  severed. 
Few  of  them,  alas!  ever  reached  their  homes.  A 
week  of  most  uncomfortable  travel,  day  and  night, 
in  freight  cars,  without  fire,  amid  rain  and  snow, 
with  frequent  detentions,  brought  us  to  Murfrees- 
boro.     Here  we  met  Gen.  Albert  Sidney  Johnston, 


20  Camp  and  field. 

with  his  army,  fallen  back  from  Bowling  Green-: 
We  fell  sorrowfully  into  the  train  of  the  retreating 
host,  followed  them  to  Hunfeville,  and  thence  ac- 
companied them  to  Corinth. 

On  Sunday,  the  sixth  of  April,  occurred  the 
memorable  battle  of  Shi  1  oh.  Our  forces  were  ar- 
ranged in  three  parallel  lines,  the  first  commanded 
by  General  Hardee,  the  second  by  General  Bragg, 
the  third  by  General  Polk.  Johnston  ifnd  Beaure- 
gard were  in  the  rear.  Suddenly,  at  sunrise,  the 
deadly  roar  of  artillery  broke  upon  the  calm,  clear, 
Sabbath  air;  the  fierce  music  of  the  murderous  shell 
screamed  wildly  over  head ;  and  the  little  rings  of 
white  smoke,  rapidly  multiplying,  showed  where  the 
dread  missiles  were  bursting.  To  such  sights  and 
sounds  many  of  our  troops  were  quite  unaccustomed  ; 
yet  they  cooly  awaited  the  order  to  advance,  then 
rushed  forward  with  the  force  of  a  tornado,  driving 
the  northern  hirelings  like  thistle-down  before  them. 
Again  and  again  they  rallied  and  reformed,  only  to 
be  as  often  broken  and  scattered  by  the  impetuous 
charge.  Soon  driven  beyond  their  camps,  they  con- 
tinued their  retreat  toward  their  gunboats  on  the 
river. 

About  half  past  two  o'clock  fell  the  gallant  Gene- 
ral Johnston,  the  peerless  prince  of  our  hosts.  The 
sad  fact  was  prudently  withheld  from  the  army,  lest 
its  depressing  influence  should  affect  unfavorably  the 
fortunes  of  the  day.  The  field,  however,  was  won. 
Amid  the  music  of  musketry  and  artillery,  u  the 
noise  of  the  captains  and  the  shouting,"  the  victo- 
rious hero  yielded  to  all-conquering  death. 


DISSOLVING   VIEWS.  21 

Six  o'clock  found  the  enemy  desperate  on  the 
banks  of  the  Tennessee,  his  whole  force  crowded  into 
a  space  of  half  or  three  quarters  of  a  mile  around 
Pittsburg  landing.  It  is  said  that  many  of  the  fugi- 
tives, pushed  forward  by  the  terror-stricken  thousands 
behind  them,  were  forced  into  the  river  and  drowned. 
The  remnant  were  now  safe  under  cover  of  their  gun- 
boats, but  we  were  in  possession  of  their  camps. 

With  about  thirty -five  thousand  men,  we  had 
routed  fifty  thousand,  and  taken  more  than  three 
thousand  prisoners,  including  Major  General  Pren- 
tice, and  several  brigade  commanders.  They  had  a 
hundred  and  eight  pieces  of  artillery,  nearly  all  of 
which  we  had  captured,  with  many  thousand  small 
arms,  thirty  stand  of  colors,  an  immense  supply  of 
provisions,  a  vast  amount  of  ammunition,  and  a  great 
number  of  wagons  and  teams.  The  force  we  had 
defeated  was  the  flower  of  the  Federal  army,  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  north-western  men,  accustomed  to 
the  use  of  fire-arms,  and  familiar  with  scenes  of  hard- 
ship and  danger.  Their  captive  general  said  to  Beau- 
regard, "We  have  felt  your  power,  sir;  you  have 
whipped  our  best  troops  to-day."  They  were  well 
armed,  well  clothed,  and  well  fed.  A  rich  spoil  was 
left  in  their  tents,  and  scattered  over  the  field ;  and 
the  "  golden  wedge  "  and  the  "  goodly  Babylonish 
garment'*  occasioned  the  next  day's  disaster. 

General  Beauregard  established  his  head  quarters 
for  the  night  at  the  little  log  church  of  Shiloh,  while 
his  men  lodged  in  the  enemy's  encampments.  Pil- 
lage and  plunder  occupied  the  night.  The  morning 
found  multitudes  laden  with  their  booty,  and  quite 


22  camp  a; 

disqualified  for  the  renewal  of  the  conflict.  Mean- 
while, Buell  had  crossed  the  riyer,  and  Grant  was 

reinforced  with  over  thirty  thousand  Fresh  troops. 
With  shouts  of  vengeful  exultation,  they  assailed  our 
enervated  and  partially  demoralized  little  army. 
Again  and  again  were  they  repulsed.  But  what 
human  bravery  could  withstand  such  overwhelming 
odds?  General  Beauregard  ordered  a  retreat.  With, 
unbroken  ranks,  and  without  any  appearance  of 
panic,  our  forces  fell  back  unpursued,  and  resumed' 
their  position  at  Corinth. 

•  Our  loss  in  killed  was  one  thousand,  seven  hun- 
dred, and  twent}r-eight ;  wounded,  eight  thousand 
and  twelve;  missing,  nine  hundred  and  fifty-nine; 
making  an  aggregate  of  ten  thousand,  six  hundred, 
and  ninetyr-nine,  put  Jwrs  du  combat. 

"  Ah  never  shall  the  laud  forget 

How  gushed  the  lifeblood  of  the  brave — 

Gushed  warm  with  hope  and  courage  yet — 

Upon  the  soil  they  fought  to  save  1" 

Bryant. 

The  saddest  event  that  occurred  at  Shiloh  was  the 
untimely  death  of  our  brave  commander. 

General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  was  a  graduate  of 
West  Point  Military  Academy  ;  had  been  an  officer 
in  the  United  States  army  ;  had  served  as  lieutenant 
in  the  war  against  Black  Hawk  ;  had  succeeded  Gen. 
Houston  in  command  of  the  troops  in  Texas  ;  had  or- 
ganized and  conducted  a  successful  expedition  against 
the  Cherokees;  had  mingled  with  his  compatriots 
upon  theblood}^  fields  of  Mexico ;  had  been  inspector 
general  to  Butler,   paymaster  general  to  Taylor,  and 


DISSOLVING   VIEWS.  23 

secretary  of  war  at  Washington  ;  bad  led  the  gov- 
ernment forces  against  the  Mormons,  and  afterward 
commanded  the  military  district  of  Utah.  On  re- 
ceiving intelligence  of  the  opening  of  this  war,  he 
instantly  resigned  his  position  in  the  Federal  service, 
came  overland  from  California  to  New  Orleans, 
hastened  thence  to  Richmond,  was  appointed  Major 
General,  and  took  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Mississippi.  It  is  said  that  when  some  one  depreci- 
ated his  soldiership  to  President  Davis,  the  latter 
replied  with  emphasis,  "If  Albert  Sidney  Johnston 
is  not  a  general,  I  have  no  general !"  Bj'  many 
who  could  not  see  its  strategical  bearing  and  im- 
portance, his  withdrawal  from  Middle  Tennessee -was 
much  censured  ;  but  the  event  demonstrated  the  wis- 
dom of  the  measure,  and  converted  calumny  and 
denunciation  into  applause.  At  the  battle  of  Shiloh 
his  noble  spirit  was  still  writhing  from  the  sting  of 
envious  tongues;  and,  determined  to  vindicate  his 
generalship  and  redeem  the  honor  of  the  Confede- 
rate arms,  he  "jeoparded  his  life  unto  the  death  in 
the  high  places  of  the  field."  Had  he  been  spared, 
probably  the  disastrous  defeat  of  Monday  had  been 
unknown,  and  Grant's  army  had  been  crushed  or 
captured  before  Buell's  arrival  with  reinforcements. 
It  is  vain  now,  however,  to  speculate.  Johnston 
sleeps  in  death,  and  we  will  "  leave  him  alone  with 
liis  glorv !" 

(-  Give  me  the  death  of  those 
Who  for  their  country  die, 
Rink  on  its  bosom  to  repose, 
And  triumph  where  they  lie  I" 

MONTGOMHRT. 


II. 

MISSISSIPPI  AN  A. 


(APRIL— JULY,   1862.) 


44  In  the  tempest  of  life,  when  the  ware  and  the  gale 
Are  around  and  above,  if  thy  spirit  should  fai), 
If  thine  eye  should  grow  dim  and  thy  caution  depart, 
Look  aloft,  and  be  firm,  and  be  fearless  of  heart." 

Anon. 

On  the  very  day  that  our  army  fell  back  to 
Oorinth,  Tuesda}'  the  eight  of  April,  Island  Number 
Ten  was  abandoned  to  the  enemy,  with  all  our  artil- 
lery and  ammunition  there,  and  a  great  number  of 
men  who  could  not  make  their  escape.  Before  its 
evacuation,  the  Yankees  had  bombarded  it  fifteen 
successive  days,  exploding  fifty  tons  of  powder,  and 
hurling  three  thousand  shells,  without  doing  any 
damage  whatever  beyond  the  killing  of  a  single  man; 
while  our  batteries  had  disabled  one  of  their  gun- 
boats, sent  another  to  the  bottom  of  the  Mississippi, 
and.  hurried  many  a  poor  soul  to  its  eternal  retri- 
bution. '■; 

A  severer  blow  to  the  Confederate  cause  was  the 
subsequent  surrender  of  New  Orleans.  The  forts 
sixty  miles  below,  after  a  furious  bombardment  of 
eight  days'  continuance,  capitulated  on  the  twenty 
eighth  of  April.  The  gun-boats  now  passed  up,  and 
Lovell  shamefully  surrendered  the  city.     Treachery 


MISSISSIPPI  ANA.  25 

and  mutiny  arc  alledged  to  have  played  their  part 
in  this  disastrous  tragedy.  It  was  a  woful  day  for 
Louisiana,  ".a  day  of  darkness  and  gloominess,  of 
thick  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death."  But  "the 
Lord  reignetlv'  and  "the  wrath  of  man  shall  praise 
him,  and  the  remainder  of  wrath  he  will  restrain." 
On   the   night  of  the   twenty-ninth   of  May,   our 

I  army  quietly  evacuated  Corinth.  It  was  a  military 
necessity,  and  the  movement  was  most  admirably 
conducted.  The  enemy's  superior  force,  augmented 
by  recent  acquisitions,  had  reached  the  number  of 
ninety  thousand.  Ours,  originally  not  more,  than 
forty-seven  thousand,  had  been  reduced  by  disease, 
resulting  from  the  use  of  bad  water  and  inferior  food. 
The  Yankee  moles  had  dug  their  way  from  Shiloh, 
more  than  twenty  miles.  We  had  twice  offered 
them  battle  outside  of  our  entrenched  lines,  and  they 
had  twice  declined  the  offer.  Far  too  prudent  were 
they  to  expose  their  precious  clay  in  fair  fight  upon 
an  open  field.     Their  subterranean  march  was  safer, 

^  and  siege-guns  and  mortars  would  shoot  farther  than 
Belgian  musket  or  breach-loadingrifle. 

At  day  dawn  on  the  thirtieth,  they  opened  their 
heavy  artillery  upon  the  devoted  Eebel  host.  There 
was  no  reply.  What  could  be  the  reason  ?  Surely 
Beauregard  had  not  withdrawn  with  his  army,  for 
the  pickets  were  still  seen  in  their  places,  and  the 
great  guns  were  still  frowning  from  their  embrasures, 
and  the  drums  were  beating  all  along  the  line  as 
usual,  and  the  camp-fires  were  as  numerous  and  as 
brilliant  as  ever.  Fire  away,  my  prudent  friends, 
and  beware  how  you  venture  out  of  your  burrows  ; 
C 


26  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

•for  those  men  of  straw  are  terrible  artillerists,  and 
the  log  columbiads  beside  them  arc  charged  with 
Confederate  vengeance,  and  the  music  that  you  hear 
is  no  midnight  serenade  for  gentle  ears,  and  who  can 
conjecture  to  what  fate  those  fires  may  light  you  ? 

Some  time  before  midday,  Brother  Jonathan  be- 
gins most  shrewdly  to  suspect  that  the  rebels  have 
beaten  him  at  his  own  game,  and  that  he  has  had  all 
his  delving  and  ditching /or  nothing.  Gen.  Ilalleck 
takes  his  field  glass  and  repairs  to  a  neighboring 
elevation ;  while  his  adjutant  makes  observations 
from  the  perilous  apex  of  a  two-story  edifice,  and 
two  of  his  aids  peer  inquisitively  out  from  the  top- 
most branches  of  two  contiguous  pines.  Oh,  myste- 
ry !  transcending  marvel !  The  formidable  army  that 
he  has  been  approaching  and  investing,  for  nearly 
two  months  past,  with  so  much  toil  and  timidity,  is 
nowhere  to  be  discovered.  Where  are  the  rebels? 
No  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  were  seen  last  night.. 
Have  they  melted  away  into  thin  air,  or  dug  through 
into  China? 

Cavalry  is  sent  out,  making  a  long  circuit,  with 
most  prudent  circumspection,  each  particular  hair  of 
each  particular  horseman  standing  erect  upon  his 
head.  A  courier!  "Tidings,  my  Lord,  0  King!" 
Beauregard  and  his  command  are  some  thirty  or 
forty  miles  south  of  Corinth,  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio 
Railroad.  Now  the  grand  army  of  moles  march 
boldly  forth  from  their  burrows,  furiously  shelling 
empty  houses,  and  wreaking  their  valorous  rage  upon 
every  inanimate  object  that  dares  dispute  their  pro- 
gress.    A  glorious  victory  gained  the  Federal  arms 


■       MISSISSIPPIANA.  27 

that  day !   •  A  shrewd  correspondent  of  the  Cincin- 
nati Commercial  says : 

"Last  night  the  same  band  sounded  retreat,  tattoo,  and  taps,  all 
along  the  rebel  lines,  passing  from  place  to  place.  This  morning 
suspicion  ripened  into  certainty.  Corinth  was  evacuated.  Beaure- 
gard had  achieved  another  victory.  I  do  not  know  how  the  matter 
strikes  abler  military  men,  but  I  think  we  have  been  fooled.  The 
works  are  far  from  being  invulnerable.  The  old  joke  of  Quaker  guns 
has  been  played  off  upon  us.  They  were  real  wooden  guns,  with 
stuffed  paddies  for  gunners.  I  saw  them.  We  approached  clear 
from  Shiloh  in  line  of  battle,  and  made  preparations  to  defend  our- 
selves, compared  with  which  the  preparations  of  the  enemy  sink  into 
insignificance." 

The  correspondent  of  the  Chicago  Tribune  also 
takes  a  very  rational  view  of  the  matter : 

"The  retreat  of  the  army  was  conducted  in  the  best  of  order. 
Before  our  men  had  entered  the  place,  all  had  got  off  safely.  Noth- 
ing of  any  use  to  us  whatever  was  found.  General  Halleck  has  thus 
achieved  one  of  the  most  barren  of  triumphs.  In  fact,  it  is  tanta- 
mount to  a  defeat.  It  gives  the  enemy  an  opportunity  to  select  a 
new  position,  as  formidable  as  that  at  Corinth,  in  which  it  will  be 
far  more  difficult  for  us  to  attack  him  on  account  of  the  distance  our 
army  will  have  to  transport  its  supplies.  *  *  *  I  look  upon  the 
evacuation  as  a  victory  to  Beauregard,  or  at  least  as  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  pieces  of  strategy  that  has  been  displayed  during  this- 
war.     It  prolongs  the  contest  in  the  southwest  at  least  six  months." 

Did  the  proportions  of  my,  book  allow^  I  could 
write  an  interesting  chapter  of  incidents  connected 
with  this  retreat.     Take  but  one  : 

Lieutenant  Butler,  of  our  regiment,  had  gone  to 
Memphis  to  procure  a  metallic  coffin  for  the  mortal 
remains  of  his  cousin.  Keturning  to  Corinth  the 
day  after  our  departure,  he  was  captured  by  a  party 
of  six  cavaliers.  As  they  were  conducting  him  to 
their  camp,  they  encountered  their  colonel.     He  de- 


28  CAMP    AND    FIELD. 

manded  of  them,  with  many  damnations,  whether  six 
men  were  necessary  to  guard  one  rebel ;  and  taking- 
charge  of  the  prisoner  himself,  sent  them  flying  on 
their  scout  again,  with  a  volley  of  curses  in  their 
rear.  He  now  led  the  lieutenant  to  a  log;  command- 
ed him,  with  several  irreverent  expletives,  "to  sit 
down  there,"  while  he  went  "  to  see  after  those  infer- 
nal poltroons ;"  and  added,  with  an  oath  which  none 
but  a  Yankee  Colonel  of  cavalry  could  utter,  "  If 
you  are  gone  when  I  come  back,  I'll  take  your  head 
off  with  my  sword  f"  Then  he  galloped  away  toward 
Corinth,  occasionally  looking  back  over  his  shoulder, 
as  if  somewhat  distrustful  of  his  captive's  entire  sub- 
jugation. As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight,  our  young- 
friend  ran  about  a  hundred  j^ards,  climbed  an  um- 
brageous .  beach,  and  established  an  outlook  from 
amid  its  dense  foliage.  In  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes, 
the  Colonel  returned  with  a  numerous  escort.  Dis- 
covering that  the  bird  was  flown,  he  swore  till  the, 
evening  twilight  was  blue ;  then  scattered  his  re- 
doubtable cavaliers,  east,  west,  north  and  south,  in 
quest  of  his  incontinent  captive.  Several  of  them 
passed  under  the  beach  in  which  he  had  ensconced 
himself;  but  the  friendly  shades,  now  deepening  into 
night,  prevented  his  discovery.  He  kept  his  position 
till  all  was  dark  and  still ;  then,  descending, 

"  With  winged  feet  lie  spurned  the  plain," 

and   the    next   day  overtook   onr    rear-guard  some 
thirty  miles  nearer  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

During  the  night  of  this  eventful  hegira,  a  detach- 
ment of  the  enemy's  cavalry   made   a    dash    upon 


MISSISSIPPfANA.  29 

Boonville,  a  few  miles  south  of  Corinth ;  captured 
and  destroyed  a  -railway  train  of  ammunition,  pro- 
vision, and  baggage,  which  had  been  detained  forty- 
eight  hours  by  some  mismanagement ;  and  burned  the 
station  house,  containing  a  number  of  our  dead,  and 
four  or  five  of  our  sick,  who  were  consumed  in  the 
conflagration.  Our  cavalry,  a  far  inferior  force,  soon 
made  their  appearance,  and  the  murderous  incendi- 
aries fled  in  confusion  and  dismay,  carrying  away 
with  them  only  a  single  man.  A  number  of  strag- 
glers, and  some  scores  of  sick  and  wounded  soldiers 
on  their  way  to  southern  hospitals,  were  rescued  after 
a  few  moments  captivity ;  and  these  were  the  "two 
thousand  men  "  reported  by  Pope  and  Halleck  to 
have  been  "  captured  and  paroled  "  on  that  occasion. 
We  lost  by  the  fire  some  fifteen  hundred  inferior 
muskets,  which  those  voracious  officials,  with  grand 
.flourish  of  trumpets,  magnify  into  "ten  thousand 
stand  of  small  arms  taken  and  destroyed."  How 
easy  it  is  to  achieve  victories  on  paper  I 

The  army  is  now  encamped  at  Tupelo.  But  in 
this  rapid  march  we  have  left  a  few  facts- behind  us. 
Let  us  go  back  and  gather  up  our  stragglers. 

Many  of  our  brave  boys  perished  at  Shiloh.  Many 
others  were  severely  injured,  and  Colonel  Bate  among 
them.  The  latter  were  immediately  conveyed  to 
Columbus  for  treatment.  A  few  days  afterward,  the 
shepherd  followed  the  wounded  of  his  flock.  Bishop 
Paine  gave  me  friendly  welcome  by  the  way. 
Twenty  minutes  after  my  arrival  at  his  house,  five 
men,  on  foaming  steeds,  called  at  the  gate,  and 
demanded  his  stranger  guest.  They  had  pursued  me 
C* 


30  CAMP    AND    FIELD. 

thirty  miles,  they  said,  for  a  Yankee  spy  or  incen- 
diary. A  few  words  were  sufficient,  and  my  patriotic 
persecutors  sought  every  man  the  shade  of  u  his  own 
vine  and  fig  tree." 

Three  days  at  Aberdeen  were  "as  the  days  of 
Heaven  upon  earth."  Whoever  saw  a  lovelier  family 
than  Bishop  Paine's,  or  enjoyed  a  warmer  hospi- 
tality than  their  guests  ? 

On  the  sixth  of  May  I  arrived  at  Columbus.  I>r. 
Neely,  as  kind  as  he  is  eloquent,  welcomed  me  to 
the  parsonage.  Mr.  Powell,  Mr.  Cannon,  Mr.  Sher- 
man, Col.  Billups,  with  their  respective  families,  and 
several  others,  did  all  that  Christian  charity  could 
suggest  to  render  pleasant  my  sojourn  in  their  city. 
For  several  weeks  I  labored  incessantly  among  the 
sick  and  the  wounded.  Mv  soul  was  full  of  faith, 
and  love,  and  joy.  I  went  every  morning  to  my 
work  with  a  zest  I  had  never  known  before,  and 
returned  every  evening  to  my  friends  with  a  tran- 
quil satisfaction  which  had  in  it  more  of  Heaven 
than  of  earth.  To  overcome  all  diffidence  and  em- 
barrassment in  my  visits^  to  the  hospitals,  I  adopted 
the  following  method : 

Taking  my  stand  at  some  convenient  place  in  a 
large  apartment  filled  with  the  unfortunate  sufferers, 
I  requested  their  attention  to  a  few  verses  of  Scrip- 
ture; then  expounded  what  I  had  read,  with  appli- 
cations and  exhortations  suitable  to  their  condition  ; 
and  afterward  commended  them  in  prayer  to  the 
Divine  Mercy.  This  opened  the  way  for  personal 
conversation,  and  in  these  interviews  many  a  young- 
man  showed  "  a  broken  ••  nd  contrite  heart."     Having 


MISSISSIPPIANA.  31 

,  finished  in  one  room,  I  went  to  another,  pursuing 
the  same  method,  till  I  had  gone  throughout  the 
building. 

Some  who  were  able  to  walk  would  follow  me 
from  one  apartment  to  another,  and  multitudes  when 
I  left  them  would  entreat  me  to  come  again.  On 
some  days  I  delivered  ten  or  fifteen  public  addresses, 
and  offered  as  many  public  prayers,  besides  distri- 
buting four  or  five  hundred  tracts.  I  witnessed 
several  cases  of  satisfactory  conversion,  and  saw  a 
number  of  our  soldiers  die  in  peace.  Three  instances 
in  our  own  regiment  were  of  the  most  encouraging- 
character.  G.  was  as  burnt le  a  penitent  as  I  ever 
beheld;  S.  departed  in  triumphant  hope  after  several 
weeks  of  severest  suffering;  and  W.,  having  renounced 
his  infidelity,  recovered,  to  lead  a  new  life,  and  to 
thank  me  often  for  my  visits. 

Friday,  the  fourteenth,  having  been  appointed  by 
the  President  of  the  Confederacy,  as  a  day  of  public 
humiliation,  fasting  and  prayer,  I  discoursed  to  a 
very  large  audience,  in  Dr.  Neeiy's  church,  from 
the  pathetic  words  of  "The  Weeping  Prophet:" 
"Otlic  Hope  of  Israel,  and  the  Savior  thereof  in 
time  of  trouble  !  Why  shouldst  thou  be  as  a  stranger 
in  the  land,  and  as  a  wayfaring  man,  that  turneth 
aside  to  tarry  for  a  night?  Why  shouldst  thou  be 
as  a  man  astonished,  as  a  mighty  man  that  can  not 
save?  Yet  thou,  0  Lord,  art  in  the  midst  of  us, 
and  we  are  called  by  thy  name.    Leave  us  not." 

The  latter  part  of  June  found  me  again  with  the 
regiment,  "in  labors  more  abundant,"  instituting  a 
Bible-class  in  camp,  preaching  nightly  to  large  and 


32  CAMP   AXD   FIELD. 

attentive  audiences,  and  occasionally  holding  prayer- 
meetings  which  were  not  unprofitable  to  the  soldiers. 
I  now  observed  that  there  was  less  .gambling  and 
profanity  among  them  than  I  had  ever  known  before, 
with  other  hopeful  indications  of  reform. 

On  the  night  of  the  thirtieth  I  was  preaching  to 
the  Fifteenth  Arkansas  Kegiment.  Suddenly  a  wild 
shout  of  joy  arose  from  a  neighboring  encampment. 
Soon  the  strain  was  taken  up  by  other  regiments  in 
every  direction,  and  the  forest  rang  with  the  voice  of 
gladness,  cheer  after  cheer,  so  that  I  found  it  quite 
impossible  to  proceed.  Just  then  I  saw  some  one 
hand  a  paper  to  an  officer  behind  me.  I  turned  and 
asked  him  whether  some  2,'ood  news  had  occasioned 
this  unusual  demonstration.  "  Here  is  a  dispatch 
from  Head  Quarters,"  he  replied  ;  "  will  you  be  kind 
enough  to  read  it  aloud  ?"  It  proved  to  be  an  official 
announcement  of  the  Federal  defeat,  after  several 
days  of  incessant  and  severe  fightings  on  the  Chicka- 
hominy. 

An  army  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand,  com- 
manding all  the  resources  and  appliances  of  warr 
and  confident  of  reveling  ere  long  amid  the  luxuries 
of  our  fair  metropolis,  had  been  driven  from  all  its 
positions,  and  put  to  an  inglorious  flight.  An  im- 
mense spoil,  consisting  of  artillery,  small  arms,  am- 
munition, commissar}7  stores,  medicines,  clothing, 
wagons,  horses  and  mules,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
victors.  The  siege-  of'Eichmond  was  raised.  The 
Confederate  capital  was  safe.  It  is  affirmed  that 
but  for  one  serious  mistake,  the  whole  army  might 
have  been  captured  or  destroyed. 


MISSISSIPPIANA.  33 

To  finish  the  sermon  now,  was  what  Saint  Paul 
himself  could  scarcely  have  done.  Three  cheers  for 
Lee,  Davis  and  the  Confederacy,  took  the  place  of 
doxology  and  benediction,  and  we  dispersed.  As 
I  returned  to  my  tent,  wave  after  wave  of  vocal  joy 
rolled  through  the  grand  old  woods;  and  ever  and 
anon,  far  into  the  night,  the  sounds  would  break 
forth  afresh,  camp  answering  to  camp,  and  hill 
echoing  to  hill,  as  if  the  feelings  of  our  soldiers  were 
quite  irrepressible,  and  Nature  herself  participated  in 
their  triumph. 

This  glorious  victory,  however,  cost  the  Confed- 
eracy many  precious  lives.  General  R.  Hatton  was 
a  native  Tennesseean  ;  the  son  of  a  venerable  Chris-  • 
tian  minister;  and  one  of  the  best  citizens,  bravest 
officers,  and  purest  patriots,  this  state  has  produced. 
A  Christian  from  habit,  a  secessionist  from  principle, 
ardent,  eloquent,  generous,  .honorable,  confiding,  and 
conscientious,  he  was  popular  alike  in  Congress  and 
in  camp,  and  never  failed  to  win  the  love  of  all  with 
whom  he  was  associated.  There  is  a  broken-hearted 
widow,  with  several  fatherless  children,  at  Lebanon. 

The  next  day  I  was  galloping  along  a  narrow 
path  through  a  dense  grove  of  pines,  when  an  object 
straf%ely  glittering  in  a  sunny  spot  before  me  sud- 
denly caught  my  attention.  It  was  a  pyramid,- a  foot 
broad  at  the  base,  and  about  the  same  height.  As  I 
approached,  it  stretched  out  and  darted  aside.  I  per- 
ceived that  it  was  a  huge  serpent.  Riding  up  to  the 
spot,  I  paused  to  look  for  it.  It  was  no  when1  to  be 
seen.  After  a  few  seconds  I  heard  a  slight  rustling 
almost  under  my   horse ;  and  looking  down,  I  dis- 


34  CAMP   AND    FIELD. 

covered  it,  lying  at  full  length,  the  most  formidable 
rattle-snake  I  ever  beheld.  It  was  at  least  eight  feet 
long,  and  somewhat  larger  than  my  arm.  Its  color 
was  a  brilliant  yellow,  with  diamond-shaped  sp< 
a  very  dark  brown.  It  was  terriblv  beautiful  t 
My  mare  was  in  great  danger,  but  fortunately  she 
stood  perfectlj7  still.  Now  the  dreadful  reptile  began 
slowly  to  erect  its  head  till  it  was  a  foot  from  the 
ground,  curving  its  neck  as  gracefully  as  a  swan  ; 
and  then  moved  off  so  gently  that  its  progress  was 
scarcely  perceptible.  I  watched  it  with  intense  in- 
terest, till  it  passed  under  a  tuft  of  leaves  at  the  root 
of  a  tree,  not  more  than  three  yards  from  my  posi- 
tion ;  when  I  alighted,  procured  me  a  weapon,  and 
advanced  very  cautiously,  "feeling  for  the  enemy." 
He  was  not  to  be  found.  With  all  his  bold  and  de- 
-  flant  bearing,  he  had  proved  himself  an  arrant  coward. 
Waxing  as  courageous. as  Halleck  did  at  Corinth, 
when  he  ascertained  that  Beauregard  had  gone,  I 
beat  the  bushes  in  every  direction,  and  threshed  fu- 
riously among  the  dry  leaves ;  but  in  vain  ;  my  foe 
had  "  skedaddled,"  taking  all  his  artillery  and  am- 
munition along  with  him ! 


■ 


ill; 

RANSITU. 


(august,  1862.) 


"  He  that  is  born  is  listed ;  life  is  war." 

Young. 

General  Bragg  bad  been  for  some  time  in  com- 
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi.  A  few  disor- 
derly fellows  had  been  shot,  and  the  rest  effectually 
reduced  to  discipline.  We  were  now  ready  to  as- 
sume the  offensive,  which  was  generally  understood 
to  be  the  policy  henceforth  of  the  government.  To- 
ward the  end  of  July,  we  struck  our  tents,  and  bade 
adieu  to  Tupelo  ;  leaving  only  General  Price,  with 
some  twenty  thousand  troops,  to  protect  that  part  of 
the  county.  The  infantry,  with  some  of  the  artille- 
ry, went  by  railway  to  Mobile,  and  thence  to  Chatta- 
nooga. The  cavalry, .  with  the  rest  of  the  artillery, 
accompanied  the  wagon-trains,  by  several  routes  more 
direct,  across  the  state  of  Alabama,  to  the  same  point 
of  rendezvous.  Preferring  not  to  commit  my  valu- 
able barb  to  the  custody  of  careless  and  irresponsible 
hands,  I  gladly  availed  myself  of  the  invitation  of 
Major  Winchester,  Quarter-Master  of  General  Donel- 
son's  Brigade,  to  become  one  of  his  party.  Starting 
from  Tupelo  on  Tuesday  the  twenty-second,  and 
going  by  way  of  Aberdeen,  Columbus,  Tuscaloosa, 


36  CAMP   AND    FIELD. 

Montevallo,  Columbian;-),  Talladega,  Jacksonville, 
Cave  Spring,  and  Rome,  we  arrived  at  Chattanooga 
on  Friday  morning  the  fifteenth  of  August,  having 
marched  more  than  four  hundred  miles  in  twenty- 
two  days.  Preaching  frequently  on  the  road,  re- 
ceiving man}7  kind  attentions  from  citizens,  renewing 
old  acquaintances  and  forming  new  ones,  this  journey 
was  to  me,  maugre  the  fatigue  of  travel  and  the 
discomforts  of  the  bivouac,  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful I  ever  enjoyed. 

I  now  commenced  a  new  career,  as  chaplain  to 
General  Donelson's  Brigade.  This  brigade  consisted 
of  five*  Tennessee  regiments,  with  Captain  Carnes's 
battery  of  light  artillery.  My  associations  were 
pleasant,  and  afforded  encouraging  facilities  for  my 
sacred  work. 

Sunday  the  seventeenth  we  crossed  the  Tennessee 
River,  and  encamped  among  the  hills  two  miles 
north  of  Chattanooga!  The  itinerant  tribes  coming 
up  out  of  the  Jordan  were  scarcely  more  joyful  than 
our  troops.  Tennessee  was  to  them  the  Land  of 
Promise,  and  the  Lookout  Mountain  pointed  pro- 
phetically to  their  invaded  heritage.  Already  they 
saw  Nashville  redeemed,  and  revelled  in  the  dear 
delights  of  home.     Alas  for  the  sequel ! 

Having  waited  at  the  foot  of  Wallen's  Ridge  till 
the  main  body  of  our  troops  had  crossed  the  river,  we 
moved  forward  to  rescue  Kentucky  from  the  grasp 
of  the  tyrant.  At  the  same  time  the  gallant  General 
Maxcy  forded  the  Tennessee  at  Bridgeport,  in  the 
very  face  of  the  Federal  garrison ;  while  his  artillery, 
five  miles  above,  was  effectually  shelling  the  camp 


IN  TRANSITU.  37 

at  the  mouth  of  Battle  Creek.  Finding  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  place  rather  perilous,  the  enemy  fled  up 
the  Sequatchie  Valley,  with  a  loss  of  sixty  or  sev- 
enty men  and  of  a  large  amount  of  property.  He 
burned  most  of  his  commissary  stores,  and  a  quan-' 
tity  of  arms  and  ammunition  ;  but  many  tents,  teams, 
wagons,  ambulances,  valuable  medicines,  surgical  in- 
struments, important  papers  and  maps,  with  various 
other  articles  quite  useful  to  our  officers  and  soldiery, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors. 

He  soon  found  himself  in  almost  as  uncomfortable 
a  condition  as  Pharaoh  in  the  Red  Sea,  walled  in  by 
nature  on  the  right  and  the  left,  a  formidable  army 
in  front,  and  ruin  menacing  his  rear.  So  he  turned 
his  face  toward  the  Cumberland  Mountains.  It  was 
the  only  chance  of  escape.  And  had  not  Hannibal 
and  Bonaparte  crossed  the  Alps  with  their  armies  ? 
With  desperate  resolution  and  much  cursing,  he 
toiled  up  the  rugged  cliffs,  made  all  possible  speed 
to  Manchester  and  Cowan,  joined  the  main  body  of 
BuelPs  army,  and  all  fled  in  wild  confusion  and  mor- 
tal terror,  leaving  forts  and  stockades  everywhere 
standing,  and  never  tarrying  to  burn  down  bridges 
and  tear  up  railroads  in  their  rear. 

A  citizen  of  Murfreesboro,  who  saw  their  wagon- 
trains  pass,  assures  me  that  they  outdrove  Jehu  him- 
self; whipping,  screaming,  swearing,  smashing,  .as  if 
an  earthquake  had  been  after  them.  Many  of  the 
vehicles,  stolen  from  Tennesseeans  and  Alabamians, 
and  drawn  by  stolen  teams,  were  crammed  with 
stolen  articles  of  all  descriptions ;  gilded  mirrors, 
marble  tables,  mahogany  sofas,  rosewood  pianos,  ele- 
D  ' 


38  CAMP  AND   FIELD. 

gant  paintings,  costly  statuary,  cut-glass  chandeliers, 
silk  dresses  and  oil-cans,  book-cases  and  cooking 
stoves,  band-boxes  and  sledge-hammers,  silver  plate 
and  ox-hides,  hardware  and  cutlery,  dry  goods  and 
groceries,  tumbling,  rumbling,  jumbling,  in  most  mag- 
nificent disorder. 

Johnson  and  Buell,  it  is  said,  differed  concerning 
the  expediency  of  a  general  "  skedaddle,"  and  came 
near  having  bloody  noses  on  the  subject.  The  Rev. 
Col.  Moody,  the  pious  plunderer  of  our  homes  and 
sanctified  assassin  of  our  friends,  tells  a  curious  story 
of  this  quarrel  and  his  own  agency  in  its  settlement, 
which  must  not  be  withheld  from  the  reader.  It  is 
taken  from  the  Dayton  (Ohio)  Journal,  where  it  pur- 
ports to  be  given  chiefly  in  his  own  words.  No 
doubt,  Andy  is  the  only  u  mourner"  Moody  has  been 
instrumental  in  "converting"  since  he  entered  the 
army.  I  have  heard,  indeed,  of  no.  other  instance 
of  Yankee  conversion  during  the  war.  The  reader 
will  excuse  the  omission  of  certain  expletives  that 
do  nOt  suit  my  taste  as  well  as  they  do  the  Rev. 
Colonel's. 

"  Col.  Moody,  of  Ohio,  stated  that  after  his  regiment,  with  others, 
had  been  marched  to  various!  points,  they  were  finally  ordered  back 
to  Nashville,  Tenn.  On  his  arrival  there  Gen.  Buell  was  in  the 
city,  and  the  question  was  being  agitated  of  evacuating  the  city 
and  giving  it  up  to  the  rebels,  Buell  being  in  favor  and  Gov.  John- 
son opposed  to  the  measure.  At  this  crisis  Col.  Moody  called  to 
pay  his  respects  to  the  Governor.  On  entering  the  building,  in  an 
upper  room  of  which  was  the  Governor's  office,  he  met  Gen.  Buell 
coming  out.  As  they  passed  each  other  they  exchanged  civilities, 
-and  immediately  the  Colonel  forwarded  his  card  to  the  Governor's 
room.  Soon  a  messenger  came  to  him,  informing  him  that  the 
■Goyernor  wished  him  to  come  up  immediately.     As  the  Colonel 


IN  TRANSITU.  89 

entered  the  room  he  saw  Governor  Johnson  pacing  the  floor,  with  a 
gentleman  on  each  arm,  under  the  most  terrible  excitement,  and 
saying,  '  It  must  not  be  done.'  Seoing  the  Colonel,  the  Governor 
greeted  him  most  cordially,  and  expressed  his  great  pleasure  in 
meeting  him.  The  two  gentlemen  retired,  leaving  them  alone* 
when  instantly  Governor  Johnson  informed  Col.  Moody  what  was 
meditated — that  Buell  wished  to  evacuate  the  city.  '  But,'  said  he, 
'it  must  not  be  done.'  So  intense  was  the  excitement  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's mind  that  his  face  was  fairly  livid ;  and,  frothing  at  the 
mouth  and  jesticulating  most  violently,  he  swore  '  the  city  must  not 
be  evacuated.'     The  Colonel  gently  chided  the   Governor,  saying: 

"  '  Governor,  just  drop  these  hard  words — we  can  get  along  without 
them.  True,  this  is  a  dark  and  perilous  hour,  but  we  must  remem- 
ber God  reigns  He  is  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  lie  rules 
•Generals,  Governors,  and  nations.  If  we  will  only  do  right  and 
trust  in  Him,  a  way  of  deliverance  will  be  opened,  and  our  beloved 
country  shall  yet  be  saved/ 

Instantly  the  Governor  responded  : 

"  '  Moody — and  when  I  say  Moody  I  mean  more  than  Colonel — I 
believe  in  God  and  the  Bible,  and  I  rest  my  soul's  salvation  on  the 

merit  of  Jesus  Christ  alone,   but ,  if  this  city  shall  be  given 

up!' 

"  Col.  Moody,  perceiving  that  the  Governor's  mind  needed  relief 
as  much  as  the  imperiled  city,  otherwise  there  was  danger  from  the 
immense  excitement  of  his  being  driven  to. madness,  replied: 

"  '  Governor,  let  us  pray  ! ' 

"  Quick  as  lightning  the  Governor  dropped  on  his  knees ;  and 
while  the  Colonel  was  praying  for  him,  asking  God  to  give  him 
wisdom,  strength  and  courage  in  this  dark  hour,  he  responded  in 
groans  and  aniens;  and  crawling  on  his  knees  to  the  Colonel,  he 
laid  his  head  on  his  bosom,  and  wept  and  groaned,  and  said  amen 
to  every  petition.  At  length  the  Colonel  felt  that  God  had  heard 
his  prayer ;  the  cloud  began  to  break ;  and  turning  prayer  into 
praise,  the  Governor  also  began  to  praise  God.  When  they  rose 
from  their  knees#the  Governor  instantly  seized  the  Colonel's  hand; 
and,  all  bathed  in  tears,  said  : 

"  *  Thank  God  that  you  came  !     He  sent  you  to  help  me— I  feel 

better — the  cloud  is  broken — we  shall  be  delivered.     But I 

he  shall  not  give  up  the  city  I  I'll  burn  it  firsts  and  perish  amid 
the  flames,  rather  than  he  shall  give  it  up,  and  let  it  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy  1 ' 


40  CAMP  AND  FIELD. 

11  Soon  after  this  General  Buell  came  in;  and  Gov.  Johnson,  meet 
ing  him,  looked  him  in  the  eye,  and  with  terrible  emphasis  he  said: 

"  'The  city  shall  not  be  evacuated.  Before  that  shall  bo  done,  I 
will  burn  it,  and  perish  in  the  ruins.' 

"That  settled  the  question.  Gen.  Buell  was  compelled  to  change 
his  plan ;  and  after  detailing  a  sufficient  force  to  defend  the  city, 
with  the  balance  of  the  army  he  came  trotting  up  to  Louisville." 

Johnson  certainly  did  well,  if  well-doing  can  be 
predicated  of  any  measure  for  so  bad  an  end,  in 
maintaining  his  position  at  Nashville ;  but  if.  Buell 
had  remained  in  Middle  Tennessee,  Bragg  would 
easily  have  taken  Louisville  and  Cincinnati. 


IV. 
HEGIRA  EXTRAORDINARY. 


(AUGUST,    1862.) 


"  In  this  wild  world  the  fondest  and  the  best 
Are  the  most  tried,  most  troubled  and  distrest." 

Crabbb. 

On  Sunday  evening,  the  seventeenth  of  August, 
while  we  were  in  bivouac  near  Chattanooga,  I 
preached  to  the  Eighth  Kegiment.  After  the  service 
Colonel  Moore  showed  me  the  Louisville  Journal  of 
the  sixth  instant,  containing  a  notice  of  my  wife's 
arrest,  trial  and  imprisonment,  with  her  two  daugh- 
ters, on  a  charge  of  disloyalty  to  Lincoln.  I  was  glad 
that  I  had  not  seen  it  before.  My  anxiety  was  intense, 
though  my  faith  was  strong.  Immediate  relief  was 
impracticable,  but  we  were  now  marching  on  high- 
heeled  hopes  toward  "  the  Dark  and  Bloody  Ground/' 
and  would  soon  be  able,  no  doubt,  to  lead  captive 
the  captivity  of  our  friends. 

In  a  few  days,  all  the  army  having  now  crossed 
the  river,  we  advanced  twenty-five  miles,  and  en- 
camped at  the  foot  of  Wallen's  Ridge.  On  Thursday, 
the  twenty-eighth,  General  Anderson,  to  my  great 
joy,  brought  me  word  that  my  family  had  arrived  in 
Chattanooga.  I  hastened  back  to  meet  them,  and 
D* 


42  CAMP  AND  FIELD. 

received  from  my  wife's  own  lips  the  story  of  their 
adventures,  sufferings  and  escape. 

Mrs.  Cross,  with  her  daughters,  was  on  a  visit  to 
her  native  home  in  Harrodsburg.  While  there,  John 
H.  Morgan  made  his  advent  in  the  town.  The  ladies 
waved  their  handkerchiefs :  this  was  indubitable 
disloyalty.  They  welcomed  the  liberators  of  their 
friends :  this  was  abominable  rebellion.  They  fur- 
nished them  some  refreshments  from  Judge  Chirm's 
larder :  this  was  intolerable  treason.  It  would  never 
do  to  let  such  proceedings  pass  unpunished.  Proba- 
bly, too,  these  ladies  knew  how  to  shoot.  Who  could 
give  assurance  that  they  were  not  here  for  the  pur- 
pose of  organizing  a  guerilla  party  ?  Something 
must  be  done,  and  that  speedity,  or  Kentucky,  with 
all  its  beech -groves  and  blue-grass,  has  gone  gliding 
into  Secessia.  Awake,  awake,  ye  potent  guardians 
of  the  public  peace!  The  Philistines  are  upon  you. 
Go  forth  and  shake  yourselves,  or  ye  are  shaven  to 
irredeemable  impotency  I 

"  Awake,  arise,  or  be  forever  fallen  I" 

Shortly  after  Morgan's  advent,  an  affair  occurs^ 
confirming,  beyond  all  power  of  controversy,  these 
terrible  suspicions.  Two  of  the  Federal  guard  go 
out  to  discharge  their  guns,  preparatory  to  cleaning 
them ;  when  one  of  them,  elevating  his  piece  more 
than  he  intended,  sends  a  bullet  whistling  into  Mor- 
gan Vance's  enclosure.  Glory  to  accident !  here  is, 
at  least,  a  plausible  probability.  Morgan  Yance 
hastens  to  the  Provost  Marshal's.  I  am  glad  to  have 
forgotten  the  name  of  that  sapient  official:  this 
Paper  will  be  the  less  offensive  to  many  a  good 


HEGIRA   EXTRAORDINARY.  43 

citizen  of  Harrodsburg.  To  that  anonymous  func- 
tionary, then,  speeds  Morgan  Vance.  There  is  an 
unquestionable  conspiracy  against  his  loyal  life.  He 
has  been  shot  at  from  Judge  Chinn's  premises.  The 
Judge,  or  his  daughter,  or  one  of  his  grand-daughters, 
or  all  three  of  them,  must  have  done  the  murderous 
deed.  Shall  rebel  women  be  permitted  to  come 
hither  and  assassinate  and  slaughter  our  best  and 
bravest  citizens  ?  Awake,  0  Justice,  and  gird  thyself 
with  strength  !  Hasten,  ye  ministers  of  vengeance, 
to  the  protection  of  this  paragon  of  patriotism ! 
Arise!  Why  sleep  ye?  JjO,  the  gates  of  Gaza  are 
already  gone,  and  the  flame-bearing  foxes  are  among 
the  standing  corn ! 

It  is  well.  The  world  shall  see  uthat  we  have  a 
government."  For  two  days  there  are  strange  scenes 
in  the  streets,  and  stranger  scenes  at  the  court-house. 
Judge  Chinn  fe  arrested  and  incarcerated.  Three 
ladies,  all  native  Kentuckians,  are  marched  to  and 
fro  with  bayonets  at  their  backs,  and  placed  on  trial 
for  treason  against  "the  best  government  on  earth." 
A  soldier  of  that  model  government  comes  forward, 
and  avows  the  accidental  shooting  as  his  own.  His 
comrade  confirms  his  testimony.  Very  inopportune, 
this !  The  charge  must  be  set  aside,  or  we  shall  have 
mutiny  in  the  camp.  Is  there  no  other  ?  The  white 
handkerchiefs  !  The  bread,  bacon  and  buttermilk ! 
Quite  sufficient !  Here  is  "  rebel  sympathy."  Here 
is  "  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemy."  What  will  be- 
come of  us,  if  such  things  are  allowed  to  pass  with 
impunity?  Women  must  be  taught  to  hold  their 
tongues,  and  mind  their  own  business,  and  keep  their 


4-i  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

kerchiefs  in  their  reticules,  and  let  those  who  are  paid 
for  it  do  the  thinking ! 

On  these  counts,  condemnation  is  inevitable.  Now 
for  securing  the  culprits.  No  green  withes,  nor, new 
ropes,  nor  weaving  of  their  seven  locks  with  the 
beam,  will  suffice.  Steel  bayonets  and  iron  bars  are 
better.  Away  with  these  pestilent  offenders  .to  the 
county  jail !  Thrust  them  into  these  filthy  cells, 
along  with  this  negro  who  has  murdered  his  master, 
along  with  this  white  man  who  awaits  his  trial  for 
the  killing  of  his  two  children  ! 

"  So  spake  the  fiend,  and  with  necessity, 
The  tyrant's  plea,  excused  his  devilish  deed." 

Nay,  cries  the  jailor,  that  were  too  barbarous  for 
Mercer  county  ;  the  cells  are  not  fit  for  the  ladies ; 
they  must  at  least  be  furnished  with  decent  bedding. 

But  that  involves  a  question  ofxxpen^e  to  the 
government;  the  government  needs  all  its  funds  for 
crushing  the  rebellion  elsewhere. 

Nay,  exclaims  the  jailor's  gentle  wife,  the  ladies 
can  never  lodge  in  those  dirty  cells  ;  allow  me  to  make 
them  pallets  on  the  floor  of  my  own  apartments. 

Very  well ;  that  will  be  cheaper;  though,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  magnanimous  Morgan  Yance  and  his 
amiable  provost,  the  cells  would  be  preferable,  as 
furnishing  securer  custody.  It  will  cost  nothing, 
however,  to  quintuple  the  guard ;  and  that  night  and 
the  next  the  starlight  gleams  faintly  from  fifteen 
polished  bayonets  around  the  grand  old  bastile. 

The  second  morning  comes,  and  with  it  a  vehicle 
to  convey  the  culprits  to  Louisville.  There  arriving, 
they  are  halted  at  the  Gait  House,  ordered  thence  to 


HEGIRA   EXTRAORDINARY.  45 

the  Military  Prison,  thence  back  again  to  the  Gait 
House,  and  thence  to  the  office  of  the  Provost  Mar- 
shal. Yery  refreshing,  after  the  fatiguing  travel  of 
the  preceding  day  amid  heat  and  dust  and  Yankee  in- 
solence, must  have  been  these  midnight  marches  and 
counter-marches  through  the  great  commercial  empo- 
rium of  their  native  State!  A  highly  gratifying 
spectacle  to  the  benevolent  officials  of  the  Federal 
Government  must  have  been  these  three  ladies,  and 
a  delicate  little  child,  driven  rudely  about  through 
the  darkness  by  the  yellow-haired  hirelings  of  the 
long-armed  Kailsplitter  of  Hoosierdom  ! 

At  the  office  of  the  Provost  Marshal  there  are 
solemn   grimaces   and  mysterious  conferences  over 
sundry   papers  sent   down   from   Harrodsburg,  the 
character  and  contents  of  which  the  prisoners  are  not 
permitted  to  know.     Insulting  questions,  accompar 
nied  with  sardonic  sneers,  are  addressed  to  them  ; 
some  of  which  they  answer  with  a  forced  courtesy, 
and  some  with  undisguised  contempt.     The  name  of 
I    their  insolent  inquisitor  I  am  glad  to  have  forgotten. 
Many  friends  call  to  see  the  prisoners.     Cowardly 
men  advise  perjury  ;  noble  women  exhort  to  firm- 
ness and  fortitude.     The  former  counsel  is  met  with 
merited  scorn  ;  the  latter  is  not  needed  by  our  hero- 
ines.    Their  spirits  are  buoyant  and  unbroken  ;  their 
bearing,  dignified  and  defiant.     Frighten  three  Ken- 
tucky ladies  into  an  oath  of  fealty  to  a  government 
like  yours?     You  might  as  well  think  to  shake  an 
oak  with  a  palsy,  or  dry  up  a  fountain  with  a  fever ! 
Now  for  a  lofty  retribution.     Now  for  a  magnifi- 
cent  vengeance,      Jerry    Boyle,    the    "  great    red 


46  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

dragon"  of  the  Dark  and  Bloody  Ground,  "casts 
forth  a  flood  "  against  these  helpless  women — not  of 
water,  but  of  official  paper — "  that  he  might  cause 
them  to  be  carried  away  of  the  flood."  They  must 
go  to  Camp  Chase.  They  must  be  confined,  each 
one  of  them  in  a  separate  hut,  subject  to  whatever 
insults  and  outrages  may  suit  the  inclinations  of  the 
dogs  and  demons. that  Lincoln  and  Seward  have  dig- 
nified with  the  guardianship  of  their  periled  preroga- 
tives; Most  magnanimous  edict !  Most  splendid 
coup  de  guerre  !     Now  shall  the  rebellion  perish  ! 

But  here  comes  Doctor  Palmer.  He  is  a*  violent 
unionist ;  but  he  is  also  a  man  of  some  sagacity  and 
foresight ;  and,  withal,  a  friend  and  relation  of  the 
victims.  He  has  heard  of  these  proceedings,  and  has 
ridden  all  night  to  arrest  them. 

Nay,  General  Boyle ;  you  are  overshooting  your 
mark.  You  cannot  afford  to  send  these  ladies  to 
Camp  Chase.  It  will  ruin  our  cause  in  Kentucky. 
You  had  better  send  them  into  Dixie. 

Away-  with  them,  then,  across  the  lines  I 

Well  spoken. 

Two  days,  with  some  detention  at  the  Tunnel, 
where  John  Morgan  has  been  at  work,  and  they  ar- 
rive in  Nashville.  Two  days  more,  and  they  are  at 
Bridgeport,  on  the  Tennessee  river,  twenty-eight 
miles  below  Chattanooga.  The  commandant  of  the 
post  telegraphs  General  Buell  to  ascertain  his  pleasure 
concerning  them.  General  Buell  replies,  "  Send  them 
back  to  Louisville."  They  are  put  into  a  sutler's 
wagon,  to  be  conveyed  to  Stevenson,  there  to  reem- 
bark  upon  the  railway.     The  necessary  papers  are 


HEGIRA  EXTRAORDINARY.  47 

placed  ia  the  hands  of  the  proprietor  of  the  vehicle. 
Away  they  go,  past  the  first  line  of  pickets,  past  the 
second  line  of  pickets,  quite  out  of  sight. 

"  Mr.  Sutler,  are  those  the  last  pickets  ?  "• 

"  Yes,  Madam." 

"  Then  please  stop  a  moment." 

"What  does  this  mean,  ladies?  Why  are  you 
getting  out?  " 

"  We  shall  go  no  farther  with  you,  sir." 

uBut  you  are  not  going  to  leave  me,  are  you?  " 

"We  certainly  are." 

"  But  I  have  the  papers,  and  am  responsible  for 
your  delivery  at  Stevenson." 

"  That  is  your  business,  not  ours,  sir." 

"  Well,  I  am  not  a  Federal  officer,  and  have  no 
authority  to  detain  you  by  force ;  and  if  I  had  any, 
I  should  not  like  to  fight  with  three  ladies." 

"Your  case  would  certainly  be  hopeless,  sir;  for, 
you  see,  we  have  knives." 

It  was  no  false  menace.  My  wife  and  daughters 
had  really  been  provided  with  knives  at  Louisville, 
for  use,  if  necessary,  at  Camp  Chase.  The  mention 
of  them  instantly  melts  the  sutler's  heart  into  the 
sweetest  flow  of  mercy. 

"  Ladies,  I  shall  not  resist  you  ;  but' what  am  I  to 
do  with  your  baggage  ?  " 

"  What  you  please,  sir.  We  thank  you  for  your 
courtesy.     Good  morning." 

The  ladies  now  flee  one  way,  while  the  sutler 
drives  the  other.  They  have  lost  their  baggage,  but 
gained  their  liberty.  Soon  finding  themselves  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  they  sit  down  in  dubious  de- 


48  CAMP  AND   FIELD. 

liberation.  Can  they  ford  the  stream?  It  looks  too 
deep  and  rapid,  and  it  is  a  long  distance  to  the  other 
shore.  But  to  remain  here  is  captivity.  The  cavalry 
will  soon  be  after  them.  So,  carefully  avoiding  the 
public  road, 

"  Over  park,  over  pale — 
Thorough  bush,  thorough  briar" — 

their  clothes  torn  with  thorns  and  saturated  with 
dew,  they  wend  their  unknown  way  to  an  unknown 
destination.  My  brave  little  girl,  nine  years  of  age, 
cheerfully  follows  her  mother,  and  thinks  she  can 
bear  it  because  she  was  born  in  Charleston. 

Here  is  a  house.  A  careful  reconnoisance  of  the 
environs  reveals  no  danger.  A  brief  interview  with 
the  occupants  develops  their  Southern  feelings.  A 
generous  whiskey  toddy  revives  the  strength  of  the 
fugitives.  Kind  Mr.  W.  is  ready  to  aid  them  to  the 
extent  of  his  opportunity.  But  prudence  is  neces- 
*  sary.  A  slight  indiscretion  might  ruin  the  enterprise. 
Nothing  can  be  accomplished  before  to-morrow. 
Then  he  will  put  them  across  the  river.  Meanwhile 
they  cannot  tarry  in  the  house  without  danger  of 
being  discovered.  While  they  are  enjoying  a  hasty 
dinner  two  soldiers  make  their  appearance.  Mr.  W. 
detains  them  with  conversation  at  the  gate,  while  his 
guests  flee  by  the  back  door  and  take  to  the  moun- 
tain. A  young  lady  of  the  household  volunteers  her 
company  and  guides  them  to  a  place  of  safety. 

Selecting  a  position  which  commands  a  view  of  the 
premises  below,  they  establish  a  diligent  outlook  for 
the  enemy.     Cavalry  makes  its  appearance.      The 


HEGIRA   EXTRAORDINARY.  49 

men  dismount  and  enter.  Hours  wear  away,  and  the 
horses  are  still  at  the  gate. 

"  Now  evening  lets  her  curtain  down, 
And  pins  it  with  a  star." 

Poor  little  Mary  Anna,  exhausted  with  toil  and  hun- 
ger, lies  asleep  upon  her  mother's  lap.  Miss  W. 
descends  from  the  watchtower,  creeps  cautiously  to 
the  door,  finds  the  cavalry  gone,  but  the  two  soldiers 
still  there,  and  returns  to  the  mountain  with  tidings. 

Content  yourselves,  hapless  wanderers  !  You  must 
remain  here  till  morning.  Better  here  than  at  Camp 
Chase.  But  there  is  no  sleep,  except  #or  the  little 
Charlestonian.  The  rest  sit  chatting  upon  the  rocks 
throughout  the  livelong  night.  At  daylight  the 
young  lady  goes  down  again,  and  hastens  back  with 
the  glad  intelligence  that  the  enemy  is  gone.  Our 
fugitives  descend,  snatch  a  hasty  morsel,  and 
away  again  to  the  mountain  till  they  are  summoned 
down  to  dinner.  They  spend  the  following  night 
with  the  family,  and  the  next  morning  accompany 
Mr.  W.  to  the  river.  Everything  is  in  readiness. 
The  Confederate  pickets  bring  over  the  boat,  and  my 
family  are  soon  landed  in  Dixie,  where  our  officers 
receive  them  with  distinguished  urbanity  and  a  cor- 
dial Southern  welcome. 

Arriving  at  Shell  Mound,  Mrs.  C.  dispatches  a 
note  by  flag  of  truce,  to  the  comrrvmdantof  the  post 
at  Bridgeport,  informing  him  of  her  successful  hegira, 
and  expressing  the  hope  that  he  will  have  the  mag- 
nanimity to  send  over  her  baggage.  The  trunks  are 
immediately  forwarded  under  flag  of  truce.  And  so 
endeth  "  this  eventful  history?" 

"  The  good  are  better  made  by  ill, 
E  As  odors  cj-ushed  are  sweeter  still."  Rogers. 


V. 
INTO  KENTUCKY. 

(SEPTEMBER — OCTOBER,  1862.) 


"  Higher,  higher  still  we  climb, 

Up  the  mount  of  glory, 

That  our  names  may  live  through  time 

^  In  our  country's  story  ; 

"   Happy,  when  her  welfare  calls, 

He  who  conquers*  he  who  falls." 

Montgomery. 

Ho  for  Kentucky  !  Gen.  Kirby  Smith  is  already 
there,  and  has  routed  the  enemy  at  Richmond.  This 
achievement,  which  occurred  on  the  thirtieth  of  Au- 
gust, was  one  of  the  most  signal  victories  of  the  war. 
After  a  march  of  many  days  through  a  dreary  moun- 
tain wilderness,  almost  destitute  of  water,  subsisting 
on  green  corn  and  beef  without  salt,  our  brave  troops 
attacked  the  Yankees  in  strong  position  at  Mount 
Zion  with  less  than  half  their  force,  drove  them  from 
their  works  after  two  hours  of  the  hardest  fighting, 
pursued  them  six  miles  to  Richmond,  where  they 
assailed  a  formidable  garrison  of  ten  thousand,  scat- 
tered the  magnificent  array  in  fifteen  minutes,  killed 
two  hundred,  wounded  over  a  thousand,  took  seven 
hundred  prisoners  from  thirteen  different  regiments, 
captured  ten  cannon,  eleven  hundred  muskets,  two 
hundred  wagons,  nearly  a  thousand  mules,  and  a 


INTO   KENTUCKY.  51 

large  quantity  of  supplies,  with  a  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded  of  about  four  hundred  men.  Gen.  Nelson 
was  wounded  on  the  Federal  side,  and  Gen.  Cleburn 
on  ours.  My  old  regiment,  the  Second  Tennessee, 
suffered  severely ;  and  Colonel  Butler,  commanding 
it,  was  killed.  "  Never,"  said  Kirby  Smith,  "  was 
more  gallant  lighting  done'  by  any  troops."  Before 
the  battle,  the  General  was  on  his  knees  in  his  tent : 
and  as  soon  as  it  was  over  he  retired  to  give  thanks 
to  God  for  the  victory. 

On  the  self-same  day  was  fought  the  second  great 
battle  of  Manassas,  in  which  Lee  put  the  gasconading 
invader  to  an  inglorious  rout;  took  thirty  pieces  of 
artillery  and  eight  thousand  stand  of  small  arms; 
destroyed  and  carried  away  an  immense  amount  of 
Federal  army  stores;  captured  a  large  number  of 
prisoners,  seven  thousand  of  whom  were  paroled 
upon  the  field  ;  strewed  the  ground  for  three  or  four 
miles  with  the  wounded,  the  dying,  and  the  dead ; 
and  left  the  enemy  full  thirty-eight  thousand  less 
than  he  found  him  at  the  opening  of  the  conflict. 

We  had  heard  of  these  splendid  achievements,  and 
our  patriotic  enthusiasm  was  at  its  acme.  Hope  made 
the  rugged  march  a  pleasant  pilgrimage,  and  con- 
verted the  dark  and  sterile  mountains  into  a  very 
"Land  of.Beulah."  Labor  was  rest,  and  paifi  was 
sweet,  and  the  green  maize  which  constituted  our 
daily  bread  was  "  manna  in  the  wilderness."  We 
crossed  the  border  with  a  shout  which  rang  for  miles 
along  our  line  of  march,  and  woke  the  glad  echoes 
of  the  everlasting  hills. 

A    day   at   Tompkinsville,  to   refresh   our  jaded 


52  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

troops,  and  replenish  our  seanty  commissariat ;  then, 
forward  to  Glasgow.  As  we  enter  the  town,  an  old 
man,  with  silver  locks  streaming  on  the  wind,  rides 
forth  to  meet  us,  waving  his  hat  over  his  head,  and 
bidding  us  a  thousand  welcomes.  Our  response,  peal 
after  peal,  rends  the  welkin.  That  old  man  has  felt 
the  heel  of  Lincoln. 

A  pale  woman,  sitting  by  the  wayside,  cheers  the 
boys,  as  they  pass,  with  such  words  as  these:  "  Wel- 
come, Tennesseeans  !  Welcome  to  Kentucky!  Wel- 
come to  Glasgow  !  Welcome  to  our  homes!  You 
have  come  to  redeem  us.  I  knew  you  would  come. 
I  told  the  Yankees  so.  They  said  you  had  crept  into 
your  dens,  and  would  never  show  yourselves  again. 
Now,  thank  God  !  I  see  you,  and  it  is  the  pleasantest 
sight  I  ever  saw.  You  will  drive  the  thieves 
beyond  the  Ohio.  Our  husbands,  brothers  and  sons 
will  help  you.  Now  we  shall  be  avenged.  They 
have  robbed  us — the  vile  miscreants !  They  have 
insulted  us  in  our  own  homes,  at  our  own  tables. 
They  have  stolen  our  horses  from  the  stable,  and 
driven  away  our  cattle  from  the  pasture.  They  have 
burned  our  fences,  destroyed  our  crops,  imprisoned 
our  friends,  and  trampled  upon  all  our  rights.  The 
day  of  retribution  is  come  at  last.  I  have- prayed  for 
it  a  long  time,  and  my  prayer  is  answered.  Heaven 
bless  you,  young  men  !  I  know  your  mothers  and 
sisters  are  praying  for  you  at  home.  Thousands  of 
ladies  are  praying  for  you  in  Kentucky.  Be  coura- 
geous. God  is  on  your  side.  God  will  fight  your 
battles  for  you.  Your  cause  must  prosper.  We  shall 
be  with  vou  in  the  Confederacv." 


INTO   KENTUCKY.  53 

Two  days  at  Glasgow.  One  of  them,  the  four- 
teenth of  September,  is  a  Sabbath.  While  I  am 
attacking  the  hearts  of  sinners  with  "the  Sword  of 
the  Spirit,"  Chalmers  is  assailing  the  Federal  fortifi- 
cations at  Woodsonville.  With  eighteen  hundred 
men,  he  engages  a  force  of  over  four  thousand.  They 
are  behind  their  breastworks,  and  well  supported  by 
artillery.  He  is  repulsed,  with  a  loss  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy,  killed  and  wounded.  The  attempt  has 
been  censured.  It  ought,  perhaps,  to  be  applauded. 
Applauded  it  certainly  would  have  been,  had  it  suc- 
ceeded. It  is  success,  not  courage,'.' Ahat  makes  a 
hero.  It  is  fortune,  not  merit,  that  immortalizes  a 
commander.  "Let  a  man  show  all  the  good  conduct 
that  is  possible,"  says  St.  Evremond,  "  if  the  event 
does  not  answer,  ill  fortune  passes  for  a  fault,  and  is 
justified  but  by  a  sorry  few  persons."  This  was  one 
of  the  most  daring  and  heroic  efforts  of  the  war,  an 
illustration  of  true  courage  in  a  worthy  cause.  But 
Confederate  blood  is  too  precious  to  be  spilled  in 
vain ;  and  prudence  in  a  military  chieftain,  though 
less  imposing,  is  not  less  important,  than  valor. 
Patience  and  hope  !  We  shall  soon  lead  captive  the 
conquerors. 

Monday  evening,  the  fifteenth,  we  are  on  the 
march.  Tuesday  morning,  the  sixteenth,  we  hear 
the  sound  of  artillery.  Buckner  is  annoying  the 
enemy  in  front,  while  we  are  making  a  circuit  to  get 
in  his  rear. 

Woodsonville  and  Munfordsville  lie  opposite  each 
other  on  Green  River ;  the  former  on  the  south  sidet 
the  latter  on  the  north.  Crossing  the  stream  about 
E* 


54r  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

mid-day  several  miles  above,  we  wait  for  the  friendly 
night,  then  approach  quietly  under  the  double  cover 
of  forest  and  darkness. 

It  is  nine  o'clock.  No  sound  is  heard  but  the 
tramp  of  numerous  feet.  Suddenly  a  volley  of  mus- 
ketry in  front  bursts  upon  the  still  air.  The  next 
moment  a  dozen  horses,  some  ridden  and  others 
riderless,  come  rushing  back  among  the  troops.  The 
cry  goes  from  van  to  rear — "Yankee  cavalry  I  Yankee 
cavalry  !  "  The  men  fall  out,  right  and  left,  into  the 
thicket;  but  are  instantly  rallied  by  their  officers, 
and  stand  waiting  in  painful  suspense  for  an  expla- 
nation. A  courier  comes  with  the  facts.  General 
Donelson  and  his  staff,  riding  forward  to  reconnoitre) 
had  been  mistaken  by  Jacksonrs  rear-guard  for  a 
Federal  scouting  party,  and  fired  upon.  Captain 
Lowe,  Inspector  General  of  the  brigade,  was  shot 
through  the  heart;  and  Captain  Craig's  horse  fell 
dead  beneath  its  rider.  I  rode  forward  to  the  scene 
of  the  accident,  and  found  poor  Lowe  lifeless  in  his 
blood,  and  Lieutenant  Donelson  suffering  extremely 
from  the  effect  of  the  fall  of  his  horse. 

An  hour  more,  and  w.e  are  in  the  rear  of  Mun- 
fordsville.  There  are  no  Yankees  on  this  side  the 
river.  The  garrison  on  the  other  side  seem  not  to 
have  suspected  our  approach,  probably  arc  not  yet 
aware  of  our  proximity.  This  little  town,  however, 
is  astir.  Women  and  children  are  leaving,  in  expec- 
tation of  a  bloody  sunrise.  I  meet  with  a  company 
of  them  weeping  and  wailing  along  the  street,  and 
escort  them  to  a  place  of  safety  in  our  rear.  Keturn- 
ing,  I  find  the  brigade  in  bivouac,  awaiting  the  moon. 


INTO   KENTUCKY.  55 

1  cast  myself  upon  the  dewy  grass,  and  sleep — 0, 
liow  sweetly  ! 

At  three  o'clock  I  awake,  and  find  myself  alone 
with  the  moon.  Generals  Bragg,  Polk,  Cheatham, 
Donelson,  and  the  rest,  have  gone  out  to  locate  the 
batteries  and  arrange  the  line  of  battle.  I  follow 
them.  The  enemy's  camp-fires  are  brilliant  beyond 
the  river.  Our  artillery,  within  three  hundred  yards, 
completely  commands  their  works.  Our  brave  boys 
lie  dreaming  upon  their  arms. 

The  dawn  of  Wednesday  the  seventeenth  reddens 
the  horizon.  Couriers  are  coming.  There  is  a  shout 
in  the  camp.  A  rumor  of  surrender  follows.  It  is 
even  so,  for  here  is  General  Polk  in  person,  riding 
along  the  lines,  communicating  the  intelligence  to  his 
troops.  It  is  received  with  peals  of  joy.  The  women 
and  children  return,  with  many  congratulations,  to 
their  homes. 

.At  nine  I  go  over  to  the  forts.  An  interesting 
scene  is  enacted  there.  The  Yankees  are  marched 
out  upon  the  plain.  The  officer  in  command  surren- 
ders his  sword  to  General  Buckner.  The  latter  re- 
turns it,  with  a  graceful  acknowledgment  of  his  cap- 
tive's gallantry.  The  troops  are  ordered  to  ground 
their  arms.  They  obey,  some  with  apparent  sullen- 
ness,  some  with  a  cheerful  smile.  To  Confederate 
eyes  it  is  a  very  pleasant  sight.  "We  have  gained  a 
bloodless  victory,  taken  four  thousand  and  three  hun- 
dred prisoners,  five  thousand  stand  of  arms,  ten 
pieces  of  artillery,  twenty  four-horse  wagons,  two 
hundred  head  of  mules,  and  a  considerable  amount 
of  commissary  stores. 


56  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

Among  the  prisoners  were  three  chaplains;  one  of 
them  a  Methodist  preacher  of  the  Indiana  Confer- 
ence. He  said  he  was  "sick  of  the  war,"  and  if 
released  he  should  "quit  the  army."  Lie  seemed  to 
be  uneasy,  however,  and  anxious  to  know  what  was 
to  be  done  with  him.  I  told  him  that  we  did  not 
imprison  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  he  would 
certainly  be  set  at  liberty.  He  desired  me  to  speak 
with  Gen.  Bragg  about  it,  and  bring  him  word  in  the 
afternoon.  I  represented  the  case,  through  Colonel 
Johnston,  to  the  General ;  and  was  authorized  to 
"say  to  the  gentlemen,"  that  he  and  his  two  col- 
leagues would  "be  free,  to  go  where  they  pleased, 
only  not  in  advance  of  our  army."  I  was  subse- 
quently informed  by  a  citizen,  that  he  had  a  few 
days  before  tried  very  hard,  in  a  pulpit  prayer  at 
Munfordsville,  to  enlist  Almighty  God  on  the  Fede- 
ral side  of  the  controversy,  by  representing  the  rebels 
as  the  most  damnable  sinners  since  the  days  of  Sodom. 

Near  the  fort  the  Yandals  had  burned  the  Metho- 
dist church,  and  the  embers  were  still  glowing  in  the 
ashes.  Not  far  distant  were  the  smouldering  ruins 
of  a  dwelling,  consumed  with  all  its  contents  before 
the  proprietor  could  remove  a  single  article.  The 
fragments  of  fence  around  the  grave-yard,  and  the 
few  trees  remaining,  bore  the  marks  of  Sunday's 
battle,  in  which  so  many  of  our  brave  boys  had 
perished.  And  here  it  was  that  the  gallant  Colonel 
Terry,  on  the  seventeenth  of  December,  nine  months 
ago  this  very  day,  fell  a  victim  to  his  valor,  while 
leading  his  brave  Texans  to  victory. 

A  lady  hailed  me  as  I  passed,  a  widow  with  three 


INTO   KENTUCKY.  57 

daughters,  and  asked  me  to  make  her  house  my  home 
while  our  army  should  remain  in  the  neighborhood. 
She  feared  the  soldiers,  supposing  that  ours  were 
like  those  she  had  been  accustomed  to  see.  I  told 
her  she  might  dismiss  all  unpleasant  apprehensions, 
for  the  Confederate  troops  were  gentlemen,  and  her 
family  would  not  be  molested.  After  a  few  moments' 
conversation,  I  left  her  comfortably  assured  of  her 
safety. 

At  midday  our  corps  was  again  in  motion.  I  re- 
mained behind  to  bury  Captain  Lowe.  About  sun- 
set, in  a  heavy  rain,  his  mortality  was  committed  to 
the  tomb.  While  performing  the  solemn  rite,  I  saw 
an  ambulance  driven  up  and  halted  within  a  few 
yards  of  the  grave,  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  bayo- 
nets. It  contained  poor  T.  He  was  a  neighbor  of 
mine  in  G.  Soon  after  <*  the  opening  of  the  war  he 
entered  the  Southern  army ;  became  quartermaster 
to  a  battalion  of  cavalry ;  left  his  place  with  a  large 
amount  of  government  funds  in  his  pockets;  dj^ed 
his  hair  and  beard,  which  were  of  a  fine  "Confede- 
rate grey,"  to  avoid  recognition  ;  led  a  detachment 
of  Federal  cavalry  to  his  own  town,  "breathing  out 
threatening  and  slaughter"  against  his  patriotic 
neighbors;  but  was  captured  in  the  height  of  his 
career,  brought  before  General  Bragg,  and  ordered 
to  be  retained  for  trial.  Why  they  had  driven  him 
hither,  and  halted  him  in  this  drenching  storm,  I 
could  not  conjecture,  unless  they  were  going  to  bury 
him  alive,  or  shoot  him  first  and  bury  him  afterward. 
The  pallor  of  his  countenance  could  not  have  been 
greater   if  he  had  really  apprehended  the  former; 


53  CAMP  AND   FIELD. 

but  the  number  of  muskets  that  escorted  him  seemed 
to  indicate  the  latter.  This  Tennessee  Arnold  was 
not  executed  that  evening,  however;  but'accompa- 
nied  us  through  Kentucky,  returned  with  us  to 
Tonnessee,  remained  in  custody  some  time  at  Knox- 
ville,  and  was  then  mercifully  liberated  to  do  more 
mischief. 

Rumors  of  Buell  in  our  rear.  Having  gone  as  far 
as  Bacon  Creek,  eight  miles,  we  are  ordered  back  to 
receive  him.  Buell  declines  the  interview,  and  the 
next  day  we  return  to  Bacon  Creek.  The  day  fol- 
lowing, the  rumor  is  renewed,  and  the  sham  is  re- 
peated. We  remain  twenty-four  hours  in  line  of 
battle,  then  resume  our  march,  and  press  vigorously 
northward.  The  wily  General  had  managed  very 
adroitly  to  detain  us  two  days,  that  he  might  pass  on 
our  left  and  reach  Louisville  before  us. 

Monday,  the  twenty-second,  we  encamp  near 
Bardstown.  The  people,  with  few  exceptions,  re- 
ceive us  very  cordially.  The  ladies  are  enthusiasti- 
cally patriotic.  They  line  the  streets  as  we  pass, 
waving  their  handkerchiefs,  and  welcoming  their 
deliverers.  A  beautiful  girl  of  sixteen  seizes  the 
colors  when  they  are  lowered  in  compliment  to  her, 
and  presses  the  sacred  emblem  to  her  ruby  lips.  Our. 
boys  throw  their  caps  to  the  sky,  and  shout  a  thousand 
hurrahs  for  the  ladies  of  Kentucky. 

And  this  is  the  home  of  Charles  A.  Wicklilfel 
And  'here  the  loveliest  of  women  became  the  bride 
of  Joseph  Holt !     "  Tell  it  not  in  Gath !  " 

Sunday,  the  twenty-eighth,  I  worship  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  at  Springfield.     After  service  I  ride 


INTO   KENTUCKY.  59 

three  miles  into  the  country  to  pay  my  respects  to 
Dr.  Palmer,  and  thank  him  for  his  late  kind  offices 
in  behalf  of  my  captive  wife  and  daughters.  He  is 
an  uncompromising  unionist,  regarding  the  rebellion 
as  the  most  atrocious  of  errors,  doomed  inevitably  to 
be  crushed.  But  his  heart  is  independent  of  his  poli- 
tics. He  receives  me  with  great  kindness,  and  treats 
me  with  distinguished  urbanity.  His  son,  recently 
discharged  from  the  Federal  service,  lies  dying  of 
consumption  at  home.  His  daughter  declares  herself 
an  invincible  secessionist. 

Monday  morning,  the  twenty-ninth,  as  I  ride  out 
of  town,  a  young  lady  waves  her  handkerchief  from 
a  window,  and  cries,  "Hurrah  for  Doctor  Cross ! " 
I  pause  and  speak  with  her.  She  turns  out  to  be 
the  daughter  of  my  old  friend,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Grundy  ; 
formerly  of  Maysville,  Kentucky;  more  recently  of 
Memphis,  Tennessee;  who  is  reported  to  be  one  of 
the  staunchest  Lincolnites  in  all  the  land;  while  his 
accomplished  daughter  glories  in  proclaiming  herself 
a  rebel.  ^ 

At  two  o'clock  I  am  in  Danville.  General  Bragg 
has  just  arrived,  and  is  addressing  the  people  from 
the  verandah  of  the  hotel..  He  tells  them  he  is  not 
here  to  arrest  men,  imprison  women,  and  rob  peace- 
able citizens  of  their  property;  but  to  give  Kentucky 
a  chance  to  express  her  Southern  preferences  without 
fear  of  Northern  bayonets — that  if  she  will  rally  to 
hig  standard,  he  will  stay  and  defend  her  soil ;  but  if 
she  decline  the  offer  of  liberty,  he  will  withdraw  his 
army,  and  leave  her  to  her  choice. 

This  beautiful  town  contains  the  worst  community 


60  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

in  the  State.  The  facult\T  of  Centre  College,  and  the 
professors  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  are  a  nest  of 
unclean  birds,  all  of  the  Brcckenridge  plume  and 
bill.  My  clerical  Brother  Bruce  receives  me  coldly ; 
he  is  an  irredeemable  abolitionist.  The  patriotic 
Doctor  welcomes  me  warmly ;  he  is  an  en- 
thusiastic secessionist. 

General  Jerry  Boyle,  Military  Governor  of  Ken- 
tucky, my  wife's  late  persecutor,  resides  in  the  north- 
ern edge  of  the  town.  I  pass  his  superb  villa  on  my 
way  to  Harrodsburg.  The  General,  of  course,  finds 
it  inconvenient  to  be  at  hqme  just  now.  Two  ser- 
vants are  digging  potatoes  in  the  garden.  It  would 
not  be  difficult  to  burn  the  building.  Who  would 
condemn  the  act?  He  that  hath  said,  "Vengeance 
is  mine,  I  will  repay."  He  that  hath  said,  "  Love 
your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to 
them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  that  despite- 
fully  use  and  persecute  you."  So  I  press  a  potatoe  fo'r 
a  memorial,  leave  my  compliments  for  the  General, 
and  pass  on  with  a  prayer  and  a  benediction,  to  spend 
a  few  happy  days  with  my  friends  at  Harrodsburg. 

Wednesday  morning,  the  eighth  of  October,  finds^ 
us  in  battle-array,  at  Perry  vi lie.  Before  sunrise,  a 
volley  of  musketry  indicates  the  commencement  of 
a  bloody  work.  McClure  takes  his  gun  and  mounts 
his  steed.  I  accompany  him  to  the  lines,  and  we 
part  to  meet  no  rnore.^  Wounded  early  in  the  en- 
gagement, he  dies  the  next  day — a  most  unselfish  and 
magnanimous  young  man.  I  wish  I  could  have  been 
with  him  in  his  sufferings. 

Throughout  the   forenoon,    the   skirmishing  was 


INTO   KENTUCKY.  61 

constant  and  lively,  and  the  batteries  on  both  sides  ' 
were  very  active. 

u  They  are  righting  for  water  now,"  said  my  friend, 
Dr.  Quintard  ;  "I  am  informed  they  have  had  none 
for  two  da3's." 

"1  hope,"  replied  a  bystander,  "  they  will  never 
get  a  drop  till  Father  Abraham  sends  it  to  them  by 
Lazarus." 

At  one  o'clock  our  line  of  battle  was  advanced 
across  Chaplain  Creek,  to  the  brow  of*  the  hill  be- 
yond. In  company  with  Dr.  Quintard,  I  followed, 
anxious  to  witness  the  scene  which  I  well  knew  was 
soon  to  be  enacted.  Now  began  the  work  of  death 
in  earnest.  The  crash  of  artillery  was  deafening. 
The  roar  of  musketry  was  like  the  voice  of  the  stormy 
sea.  The  fierce  missiles  went  screaming  and  whist- 
ling past  me  every  moment,  and  fell  around  me  like 
a  fiery  tempest.  I  had  often  asked  myself  whether 
I  had  the  nerve  necessary  for  such  a  scene;  but  the 
excitement  which  I  now  experienced  was  altogether 
delightful,  and  throughout  the  dreadful  carnage  I 
was  quite  unconscious  of  fear. 

As  soon  as  the  wounded  begin  to  arrive  at  the 
hospital  I  am  summoned  to  assist  the  surgeons.  The 
first  sight  I  see  there  makes  me  sick  at  heart ;  a  poor 
fellow  from  one  of  the  batteries,  with  both  legs 
crushed  by  a  cannon-ball.  Another  has  a  hole 
through  his  body,  which  would  admit  a  man's  arm  ; 
yet,  strange  to  say,  he  lives  a  full  hour.  A  third, 
smeared  with  blood  and  brains,  presents  no  semblance 
of  the  "human  face  divine."  Some  are  shot  through 
the  breast,  through  the  lungs ;  others  through  the 
F 


62  CAMP  AND   FIELD. 

arm,  the  hand,  the  shoulder.  One  has  lost  a  little 
finger  or  a  big  toe ;  another  is  minus  a  nose,  or  has 
had  one  of  his  ears  cut  away ;  while  a  third  will  need 
a  new  set  of.  teeth,  and  has  parted  perhaps  with  a 
piece  of  his  tongue.  They  are  wounded  in  almost 
every  manner  possible,  only  none  of  them  seem  to 
have  been  shot  in  the  back. 

Amid  these  painful  scenes'  I  remain  till  sometime 
after  dark.  #My  hands  and  clothes  are  besmeared 
with  blood.  The  noise  of  battle  has  died  away. 
Nothing  is  heard  but  the  rumbling  of  the  ambu- 
lances, the  groans  and  cries  of  the  sufferers,  the  slash 
of  the  surgeon's  knife,  and  the  harsher  sound  of  the 
saw.  A  young  man  of  the  Sixteenth,  with  his  shoul- 
der shattered,  comes  to  have  his,wound  dressed.  He 
reports  the  gallant  Colonel  Savage  badly  wounded 
and  trying  to  get  off  the  field.  I  mount  my  barb 
and  hasten  to  his  help.  After  riding  about  two  miles, 
I  meet  a  company  of  Yankee  prisoners ;  and  close 
behind  them,  on  horseback,  moving  very  slowly, 
comes  the  Colonel. 

"  Well,  Doctor,"  he  cries  with  a  cheerful  voice, 
have  got  all  my  wounded  men  off  the  field,  I  believe  ; 
and  now  I  am  coming  off  myself." 

u  Are  you  badly  hurt,  Colonel  ?  "  I  ask. 

"  Not  much,  I  think,"  he  replies  ;  "  shot  through 
the  calf  of  the  leg  ;  no  bones  broken  ;  but  poor  old 
George  has  had  a  ball  through  his  head,  and  I  have 
to  ride  slowly." 

I  discover  that  his  horse  is  bleeding  profusely,  and 
staggering  beneath  his  burden.  I  propose  to  exchange 
with  him ;  but  he  firmly  declines  the  offer. 


INTO   KENTUCKY.  63 

"  Old  George  has  a  good  constitution,"  he  says ; 
"I  think  he  will  hold  out  with  me." 

He  did  bold  out,  and  in  half  an  hour  we  were  at 
the  surgeon's  quarters.  I  helped  the  Colonel  down  ; 
pulled  off  his  boot ;  it  was  full  of  blood.  The  sur- 
geons dressed  his  wound,  and  he  mounted  old  George 
again,  resisting  my  remonstrance.  We  rode  two 
miles  farther,  and  stopped  at  an  unoccupied  house. 
I  found  a  straw  bed,  laid  the  Colonel  upon  it,  and 
tied  old  George  to  the  fence.  In  the  morning  the 
Colonel  was  .comfortable,  and  old  George  was  alive, 
though  the  ground  where  he  stood  was  saturated 
with  blood.  The  Colonel  remounted,  and  old  George 
carried  him  eight  miles,  to  Harrodsburg.  Good  Mrs. 
Keller  took  the  Colonel  in  ;  and,  with  the  other  ladies 
of  the  household,  nursed  him  a3  if  he  had  been  a 
brother.  He  expressed  himself  in  terms  of  the  warm- 
est admiration  and  gratitude ;  declared  that  he  had 
never  met  with  such  ladies  before  in  his  life,  and  that 
if  he  should  live  to  see  the  end  of  the  war  he  would 
certainly  return  to  Harrodsburg. 

The  battle  of  Perryville  was  a  decided  victory  for 
the  Confederate  arms.  Our  right  wing  drove  the 
Yankee  left  back  several  miles,  with  great  slaughter.. 
At*  the  very  first  charge,  according  to  Northern  ac- 
counts, one  whole  brigade  ran  over  another,  which 
was  held  in  reserve  in  its  rear ;  and  never  stopped 
till  it  reached  Springfield,  fifteen  miles  distant.  With 
fifteen  thousand  men,  we  fought  thirty -five  thousand, 
of  whom  we  killed  two  thousand,  wounded  eight 
thousand,  and  took  five  hundred  prisoners,  putting 
ten  thousand  and  five  hundred  hors  du  combat,  with 


64  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

a  loss  on  our  side  of  less  than  half  that  number,  four 
hundred  of  whom  were  of  my  own  brigade. 

Thursday  morning,  the  ninth,  our  army  falls  back 
to  'Harrodsburg.  The  fifteen  pieces  of  artillery  taken 
are  brought  safely  away,  but  a  portion  of  the  small 
arms  are  abandoned  to  the  enemy. 

In  the  evening  we  are  again  under  marching 
orders.  I  go  with  an  ambulance  for  the  wounded 
Colonel,  but  ascertain  that  he  is  already  on  the  road. 
"We  march  till  after  midnight,  and  then  bivouac  on 
the  heights  beyond  Dix  River.  I  lie  down,  "  solitary 
and  alone,"  without  a  blanket,  upon  the  dewy  grass, 
by  the  wayside.  Before  cock-crowing  I  am  wakened 
by  a  severe  blow  upon  my  shoulder,  to  find  myself  , 
under  the  feet  of  a  mule.  The  driver  has  not  seen 
me,  and  two  of  the  animals  have  passed  over  me.  A 
moment  more,  and  I  should  have  been  crushed  by 
the  wheels.  I  arise  slightly  bruised,  and  thank  God 
for  a  comfortable  night's  lodging. 

Friday  morning,  the  tenth,  we  encamp  near  Bry- 
ants ville,  ten  miles  from  Harrodsburg,  and  about  the 
same  distance  from  Danville.  Here  I  meet  again 
with  my  friend  Colonel  Savage. 

I  have  often  had  occasion  to  remark  how-  erroneous 
frequently  are  our  first  estimates  of  character.  Col. 
Savage  at  a  distance  had  not  impressed  me  altogether 
favorably.  There  was  nothing  like  positive  aversion, 
yet  was  there  no  attraction,  no  sympathy.  A  better 
acquaintance  with  him  has  developed  qualities  of 
which  I  never  dreamed,  and  I  feel  an  attachment  to 
the  man  which  I  thought  impossible.  Under  a  some- 
what rough  exterior,  he  carries  a  kind  and  generous 


INTO   KENTUCKY.  .  05 

heart.  His  remarkable  peculiarities  would  have  been 
much  mod.fied,  no  doubt,  had  he  yielded  in  youth  to 
the  sweet  influence  of  woman's  love,  withoufwhich 
nine  men  in  ten  become  semi-barbarians  by  the  time 
they  are  as  old  as  Colonel  S.  He  never  married, 
however,  and  probably  will  die  a  bachelor. 

He  is  a  man  of  calm   thought,  sound  judgment, 
self-reliant,  careless  of  public  opinion,  fruitful  of  ex- 
pedients, prompt  and  energetic  in  action,  a  stranger 
to  fear,  and  very  sincerely  devoted  to  his  country's 
cause.  In  the  Florida  war,  in  the  Mexican  campaign 
on  the  floor  of  Congress,  he  was  always  the  same 
ingenuous,  magnanimous,  independent  soul.     At" the 
commencement  of  the  current  struggle,  he  was  among 
theirs   to  take  the  field.     With  the  noble  old  hero 
general  Donelson,  he  endured  great  hardships  among 
the  mountains  of  Virginia,   and   subsequently  did 
valuable  service  in  South  Carolina.     He  went  into 
the  recent  battle  with  about  three  hundred  and  sev- 
enty men,  and  came  out  with  less   than  half  the 
number.     Among  all  the  officers  that  distinguished 
hemse  ves  in  that  terrible  contest,  there  was  none 
that  behaved  more  heroically  than  Savage. 

"  True  courage,"  says  Shaftesbury,   «  is  ever  cool 
and  calm.     The  bravest  of  men  have  least  of  a  brutal 
bullying  insolence;  and  in  every  time  of  danger,  are 
found  the  most  serene  and  free." 


F* 


VL 
OUT  OF   KENTUCKY. 

(OCTOBER— DECEMBER,     1862.) 

"Pbyaieal  courage,  which  despises  all  danger,  will  make  a  man 
brave  in  one  way;  and  moral  courage,  which  despises  all  opinion, 
will  make  a  man  brave  in  another.  The  former  would  seem  neces- 
sary for  the  camp,  the  latter  for  counsel ;  but  to  constitute  a  great 
man,  both  are  necessary." 

Coltqn. 

On  Monday  morning,  the  thirteenth  of  October, 
very  sadly,  our  troops  take  up  the  line  of  march, 
and  abandon  this  beautiful  country  to  the  tyrant 
spoiler.  Not  expecting  such  a  movement,  I  have 
left  some  articles  at  Judge  Chinn's,  which  I  fear  will 
be  lost ;  among  others,  the  potatoe  which  I  pressed 
from  General  Boyle's  garden,  and  the  proof-sheets  of 
The  Banner  of  The  Eegiment.  It  grieves  me 
much  more  to  think  that  several  hundred  of  our  dear 
fellows,  wounded  too  seriousty  to  allow  of  their  re- 
moval, remain  in  Harrodsburg  and  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy. 

Many  bright  eyes  look  mournfully  after  our  re- 
tiring troops,  and  weep  bitterly  for  the  miseries 
which  are  coming  upon  them.  They  regarded 
Bragg's  army  as  the  flood  that  was  to  refresh  the 
face  of  a  country  parched  by  the  fervid  heat  of  op- 


OUT  OF   KENTUCKY.  67 

pression,  and  renovate  a  land  already  half  consumed 
bv  the  swarming  locusts  of  the  north ;  but  now  the 
great  stream  is  flowing  past  them,  and  bearing  away 
with  it  their  friends,  their  freedom,  and  their  fondly 
cherished  hopes. 

A  number  of  families,  taking  their  servants,  a 
scanty  wardrobe,  a  small  supply  of  provisions,  and 
a  few  fine  horses  and  mules,  fall  into  the  military 
current,  and  drift  away  from  their  pleasant  homes; 
while  others  forsake  all  for  liberty,  and  think  they 
are  making  a  good  exchange.  How  terrible  must  be 
the  tyranny  which  drives  a  people  to  such  sacrifices! 

This  retreat  has  called  forth  much  criticism  and  no 
small  amount  of  censure.  I  shall  not  enter  into  the 
controversy. 

"  A.  valiant  man 
Ought  not  to  undergo  or  tempt  a  danger, 
But  worthily,  and  by  selected  ways, 
He  undertakes  by  reason,  not  by  chance ;" 

and  an  attention  to  two  or  three  facts,  I  am  well  per- 
suaded, will  modify  many  a  hasty  conclusion,  and 
silence  many  a  murmuring  tongue. 

First,  we  must  regard  the  Kentucky  campaign  as 
a  unit.  True,  we  entered  the  state  in  three  columns, 
widely  separated ;  but  Smith's  and  Marshall's  com- 
mands, as  well  as  Polk's,  were  portions  of  Bragg's 
arnry- ;  and  to  Bragg,  as  Commander  in  Chief  of  the 
whole,  belongs  the  credit  of  their  success.  It  was  a 
play  in  several  parts,  with  many  actors,  under  a  com- 
mon director.  It  was  a  single  fountain,  sending 
forth  a  number  of  streams  to  mingle  their  waters  in 
the  same  sea. 


68  CAMP   AND    FIELD. 

Secondly,  we  must  consider  the  comparative 
strength  of  the  two  armies.  Polk's  column  was 
something  less  than  twenty-live  thousand  ;  Smith's, 
not  more  than  twelve  thousand  ;  and  Marshall's,' only 
two  thousand  and  five  hundred ;  making  a  total  of 
thirty-nine  thousand  and  five  hundred ;  while  the 
numbers  of  the  enemy  in  the  state,  taking  their  own 
estimates,  were  nearly  as  three  to  one,  with  the  great- 
est facilities  for  reinforcing  to  any  desirable  amount. 
This  statement,  which  ought  to  tinge  with  shame 
every  cowardly  northern  cheek,  is  sufficient  to  re- 
deem Bragg's  reputation  with  every  ingenuous 
southern  mind. 

Thirdly,  we  must  take  into  the  account  the  aggre- 
gate results  of  the  enterprise.  It  converted  a  defen- 
sive war  into  an  offensive  ;  transferred  the  scene  of 
action  from  Mississippi  to  Kentucky  ;  revived  the 
drooping  spirits  of  our  troops,  and  visibly  imrjroved 
their  health  ;  dislodged  the  enemy  from  his  mountain 
fastness  at  Cumberland  Gap  without  striking  a  blow; 
brought  Buell  back,  with  his  ,main  force,  from  the 
line  of  the  Tennessee  River  to  the  Ohio;  furnished 
subsistence  for  our  army  from  an  extensive  and  fruit- 
ful region  which  the  enemy  claimed  and  occupied  as 
conquered  territory ;  gave  us  large  quantities  of 
clothing,  and  provision,  many  small  arms,  field 
pieces,  and  ordnance  stores,  with  valuable  acquisi- 
tions to  our  ranks,  and  prisoners  to  nearly  half  the 
number  of  our  men.  Are  these  facts  to  be  lightly 
esteemed  ? 

Sunday,  the  nineteenth,  we  pass  through  Camber- 
land   Gap,    a   grand  gateway  in  the  great   wall  of 


OUT  OF   KENTUCKY.  69 

nature.  No  pause  for  worship,  though  here  is  one  of 
God's  sublimcst  temples.  The  mountains  are  crested 
with  cannon,  and  the  forests  on  all  sides  are  felled 
to  give  them  play.  To  take  this  American  Gibralter 
would  require  an  army  of  Titans.  As  I  sit  down 
and  "wait  for  the  wagon,"  I  cannot  help  repeating 
the  fine  stanzas  of  an  American  poet : 

"  The  hills — the  everlasting  hills — 

How  peerlessly  they  rise  ! 
Like  earth's  gigantic  sentinels, 

Discoursing  through  the  skies ! 

"  Hail,  Nature's  stormproof  fortresses, 

By  Freedom's  children  trod  1 
Hail,  ye  invulnerable  walls, 

The  masonry  of  God ! 

"  When  earth's  dismantled  pyramids 

Shall  blend  with  desert  dust ; 
"When  every  temple  made  with  hands 

Is  faithless  to  its  trust ; — 

"  Ye  shall  not  stoop  your  Titan  crests, 

Magnificent  as  now, 
Till  your  Almighty  Architect 

In  thunder  bids  you  bow  !" 

Sunday,  the  twenty-sixth,  we  are  encamped  near 
Knoxville.  The  condition  of  our  troops,  tentless 
and  shoeless,  is  truly  deplorable.  A  heavy  fall  of 
snow  drives  them  to  booths  and  bonfires.  Public 
worship  is  impracticable.  The  Kev.  Mr.  Martin  has 
furnished  me  with  a  good  supply  of  tracts,  and  I 
spend  the  day  in  distributing  them  throughout  the 
brigade.  It  is  encouraging  to  see  with  what  avidity 
they  are  seized  and  read.  I  believe  I  have  done 
more  good  by  this  means,  since  I  have  been  in  the 


. 


70  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

army,  than  by  preaching  the  Gospel.  Frequently 
have  I  seen  a  circle  of  gamblers  throw  aside  their 
cards  and  dice  to  receive  these  messengers- of  mercy, 
and  retire  at  once  to  peruse  them.  The  great 
harvest-day  shall  reveal  the  fruit ! 

We  remain  here  but  a  few  days.  The  brigade 
take  the  railway  for  Middle  Tennessee.  The  Chap- 
lain accompanies  the  wagon  train  across  the  Cumber- 
land Mountains.  Sunday,  the  secgnd  of  November, 
finds  us  on  the  march.  No  preaching  possible,  I 
pause  by  the  wayside,  sit  down  in  a  retired  and  shady 
spot,  read  a  few  chapters  from  the  Blessed  Book, 
then  spend  six  pleasant  hours  in  the  composition  of 
a  sermon,  afterward  follow  mj  friends  at  double- 
quick  time,  and  overtake  them  at  twilight. in  bivouac. 

"  Oh,  that  men  should  put  an  enemy  to  their 
mouths  to  steal  away  their  brains !" 

Aye,  Master  William,  and  their  consciences  too  ! 

Thursday  the  sixth  is  celebrated  by  our  train - 
officers  as  All-Drunkard's  Day.  It  were  useless  to 
disguise  the  fact,  or  soften  the  terms  that  tell  it ; 
all  hands — quartermasters,  commissaries,  teamsters, 
clerks — are  disgracefully  drunk.  Major  Winchester, 
Major  Munday,  and  Captain  Cla^k,  are  not  with  us; 
and  if  they  were,  instead  of  "  following  a  multitude 
to  do  evil,"  they  would  probably  have  prevented  to 
some  extent  the  evil-doing  of  the  multitude.  During 
the  ensuing  night  some  one  creeps  into  the  tent  and 
abstracts  my  spectacles.  lie  might  as  well  have 
taken  my  eyes. 

"O  thou  invisible  spirit  of  wine!  if  thou  hast  no 
name  to  be  known  by,  let  us  call  thee  devil !" 


OUT   OF   KENTUCKY.  71 

Monday,  the  tenth,  we  overtake  the  troops- at  Tul- 
lahoma.  General  Donclson  is  absent,  recuperating. 
Colonel  0.  F.  Strahl*  is  temporarily  in  command  of 
our  brigade.  He  proves  to  be  a  refined  and  courte- 
ous gentleman,  well  informed  on  all  subjects,  schol- 
arly in  his  tastes  and  habits,  outwardly  moral  if  not 
inwardly  religious,  and  kindly  disposed  to  aid  the 
chaplain  in  his  sacrotl  work.  He  sends  an  order 
every  Saturday  to  each  of  the  regiments  and  the 
battery,  publishing  my  appointments  for  the  Sab- 
bath ;  and  further  encourages  attendance  upon  pub- 
lic worship  by  his  own  example.  I  have  learned 
from  a  friend  the  following  facts  of  his  history  : 

He  was  born  in  the  Buckeye  State ;  educated  in 
part  at  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University ;  commenced 
life  as  a  civil  engineer  on  a  northern  railway  ;  wan- 
dered to  Iowa,  Nebraska,  Minnesota,  in  quest  of  game 
and  gold  ;  migrated  to  Tennessee,  and  spent  two  years 
in  the  capacity  of  pedagogue  ;  became  a  lawyer,  and 
practised  his  profession  successfully  at  Dyersburg ; 
took  the  stump,  in  the  last  presidential  canvass,  for 
John  Bell  and  the  Union  party ;  lifted  up  his  voice 
like  a  trumpet,  on  the  election  of  Lincoln,  for  Seces- 
sion and  Southern  Rights ;  raised,  armed  and  equipped 
a  company  of  volunteers,  and  had  them  ready  for 
the  field  by  the  first  of  February  following ;  was 
elected  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  Fourth  Tennessee 
Regiment,  and  upon  its  reorganization  subsequently 
called  to  its  chief  command ;  was  present  at  the  battle 
of  Belmont,  witnessed  the  bombardment*  of  Island 

*  Since  promoted  to  Brigadier  General. 


72  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

Number  Ten,  participated  in  the  two-day's  contest  at 
Shilob,  accompanied  us  through  the  Kentucky  cam- 
paign, had  a  horse  shot  under  him  at  Perry ville,  and 
in  all  these  scenes  played  the  man  and  the  soldier. 

Here  I  have  once  more,  what  I  have  not  had  for 
nearly  four  months  past,  a  tent  to  myself.  It  is 
small,  indeed,  but  better  than  none ;  and  affords  me 
retirement  and  opportunity  £pr  study.  Thanks  to 
our  excellent  Quarter-master,  Major  Winchester,  for 
this  convenience. 

But  what  can  I  do  without  spectacles?  I  can 
neither  read  nor  write,  and  am  liable  to  lose  myself 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  my  tent.  But  how  is  the 
desideratum  to  be  supplied  ?  The  lens  I  am  obliged 
to  use  is  seldom  to  be  found  in  small  towns.  I  have 
visited  Murfreesboro  in  vain.  To  Nashville  I  can 
neither  go  nor  send.  General  Cheatham  pities  my 
condition,  gives  me  indefinite  leave  of  absence,  with 
an  order  for  transportation,  and  bids  me  go  and  fur- 
nish myself  wherever  I  can.  Chattanooga,  Marietta, 
Atlanta,  can  none  of  them  repair  the  damage  done 
me  in  the  Sequatchie  Valley  by  that  villainous  glass 
of  grog.  But  in  Augusta,  on  Thursday  the  twen- 
tieth, mine  eyes  are  opened,  and  I  see  all  things 
clearly ;  Doctor  Myers  and  the  Advocate,  Doctor 
Mann  and  his  family,  and  the  goodly  viands  that 
garnish  his  table,  with  many  other  old  friends  and 
new  acquaintances. 

Friday  the  twenty-first  I  am  at  the  Capital  of  Geor- 
gia, listening  to  the  legislative  eloquence  of  the  state, 
and  imbibing  full  draughts  of  senatorial  wisdom. 
Saturday  the  twenty -second  I  am  at  Eaton  ton,  ca- 


OUT   OF   KENTUCKY.  73 

ressed  by  my  little  fugitive  Charlefkpnian,  while  her 
dear  mother  repeats  to  me  the  inspiring  story  of  her 
late  captivity  and  escape.  Sunday  the  twenty-third 
I  am  preaching  to  the  citizens  of  this  quiet  town  ; 
and  all  is  as  calm  as  if  the  whole  world  were  keep- 
ing Sabbath;  and  no  one  seems  to  know  that  there 
is  an  army  within  a  thousand  miles;  and 

"  My  soul  is  an  enchanted  boat, 

Which  like  a  silent  swan  doth  float 

Upon  the  silver  waves  of  that  sweet  singing.11 

Returning  to  Tennessee,  I  find  our  command  at 
Murfrcesboro ;  preach  four  successive  Sabbaths  to 
very  large  assemblies  in  church  and  camp  ;  and  Gen- 
eral Polk,  with  many  other  officers  of  high  degree, 
are   attentive    listeners    to  the    word.     Durinsr   this 

o 

period  the  chaplains  hold  several  meetings  for  mu- 
tual counsel  and  encouragement;  address  a  commu- 
nication to  General  Bragg,  requesting  him  to  take 
such  measures  as  shall  secure  to  the  soldiers  more 
time  for  religious  worship  on  the  Sabbath  ;  and  he, 
promptly  responding,  issues  an  order,  in  *phrase  of 
pious  orthodoxy,  requiring  the  suspension  of  all  un- 
necessary drills,  reviews,  inspections,  and  other  mill-; 
tary  exercises,  on  that  sacred  day  ;  and  earnestly  ex- 
horting all  commanding  officers  to  encourage  their 
respective  commands  to  u assemble  and  meet  together 
to  confess  their  sins  before  the  face  of  Almighty  God, 
to  render  thanks  for  the  great  benefits  we  have  •re- 
ceived at  his  hands,  to  set  forth  his  most  worthy 
praise,  to  hear  his  most  holy  word,  and  to  ask  those 
things  which  are  requisite  and  necessary  as  well  for 
the  body  as  the  soul." 
G 


74  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

President  Davis'  and  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston 
have  recently  made  us  a  visit.  They  reviewed  the 
troops,  and  expressed  themselves  highly  gratified 
with  their  discipline  and  condition.  The  latter  .takes 
command  henceforth  of  the  Western  Army. 

General  John  II.  Morgan  has  captured  the  Federal 
garrison  at  Hartsville,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Cum- 
berland. Fifteen  hundred  prisoners  were  brought  to 
Murfreesboro,  paroled,  and  sent  to  Nashville.  Rose- 
cranz  cursed  them  for  a  set  of  cowards,  decorated 
them  with  cotton  night  caps,  marched  them  through 
the  city  to  the  Railroad  station,  and  started  them 
northward  with  many  a  sonorous  execration.  The 
brave  Kentucky  Cavalier  was  married  a  few  days 
after  this  event,  by  our  Bishop  General,  to  the  beau- 
tiful and  accomplished  daughter  of  Colonel  Ready. 

The  Rev.  Messrs.  Browning  and  Elliott  have  ar- 
rived in  Murfreesboro.  They  had  lain  several  months 
in  Northern  prisons,  and  have  but  lately  been  released. 
They  have  suffered  extremely,  having  been  thrust 
into  a  small  room,  with  sixteen  others  and  a  cooking 
stove.  The  former  of  these  gentlemen  assures  me 
that  the  Yankees  still  hold  many  Southern  soldiers 
in  confinement,  whom  they  captured  in  battle  a  year 
or  more  ago  ;  that  numbers  of  them  are  wasting 
away,  from  hard  usage,  bad  water,  and  insufficient 
food ;  and  that  some  have  been  wantonly  shot  by 
the  sentinels. 

The  Rev.  Doctor  Sehon  also  has  recently  been  en- 
larged. Andy  Johnson  had  kept  him  a  long  time 
in  the  Nashville  penitentiary,  ptying  him  frequently 
with  the  infamous  Federal  oath.    The  Doctor  spurned 


OUT   OF   KENTUCKY.  75 

it  with  indignation,  would  not  even  give  his  parole 
of  honor,  nor  any  pledge  whatever  that  might  be 
construed  into  an  acknowledgment  of  the  right  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  to  arrest  and  imprison  an  unarmed  and 
peaceable  citizen.  He  has  displayed  a  noble  firm- 
ness and  independence,  and  has  won  his  freedom 
without  cringing  at  the  feet  of  the  tyrant. 

A  number  of  ladies,  too,  have  come  through  the 
lines.  Some  of  them  barely  escaped  the  talons  of  the 
old  tiger  at  Nashville,  and  the  fangs  of  his  wolfish 
crew.  Others  are  here  to  look  after  their  friends, 
sick  or  wounded  it  may  be,  in  the  Confederate  army. 
How  much  they  have  suffered  in  the  absence  of 
those  friends !  how  much  of  hardship,  terror,  sorrow, 
anguish  and  suspense !  How  dear  to  their  gentle 
hearts  must  be  the  cause  for  which  they  can  make 
such  sacrifices  and  endure  such  wrongs  !  Let  another 
speak  on  this  subject — Bishop  Elliott  in  a  late  sermon 
at  Savannah : 

"  The  attitude  of  woman  is  sublime.  Bearing  all  the  sacrifices  of 
which  1  have  just  spoken,  she  is  moreover  called  upon  to  suffer  in 
her  affections,  to  be  wounded  and  smitten  where  she  feels  most  deeply 
and  enduringly.  Man  goes  to  the  battlefield,  but  woman  sends 
him  there,  even  though  her  heartstrings  tremble  while  she  gives  the 
farewell  kiss  and  the  farewell  blessing.  Man  is  supported  by  the 
necessity  of  movement,  by  the  excitement  of  action,  ly  the  hope  of 
honor,  by  the  glory  of  conquest;  woman  remains  at  home  to  suffer, 
to  bear  the  cruel  torture  of  suspense,  to  tremble  when  the  battle 
has  been  fought  and  the  news  of  the  slaughter  is  flashing  over  the 
electric  wire,  to  know  that  defeat  will  cover  her  with  dishonor  and 
her  little  ones  with  ruin,  to  learn  that  the  husband  she  doted  upon, 
the  son  whom  she  cherished  in  her  bosom  and  upon  whom  she  never 
let  the  wind  blow  too  rudely,  the  brother  with  whom  she  sported 
through  all  her  happy  days  of  childhood,  the  lover  to  whom  her 
early  vows  were  plighted,    has   died  upon  some  distant  battle-field, 


76  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

and  lies  there  a  mangled  corpse,  unknown  and  uncared  for,  never  to  be 
seen  again  even  in  death  !  Oh  !  those  fearful  lists  of  the  wounded 
and  the  dead  1  How  carelessly  we  pass  them  over,  unless  our  own 
loved  ones  happen  to  be  linked  with  them  in  military  association ! 
And  yet  each  name  in  that  roll  of  slaughter  carries  a  fatal  pang  to 
some  woman's  heart— some  noble,  devoted  woman's  heart.  But 
she  bears  it  all,  and  bows  submissively  to  the  stroke.  '  He  died  for 
the  cause.  He  perished  for  his  country.  I  would  not  have  it  other- 
wise, but  I  should  like  to  have  given  the  dying  boy  my  blessing,  the 
expiring  husband  my  last  ki$s  of  affection,  the  bleeding  .lover  the 
comfort  of  knowing  that  I  kneeled  beside  him.'  " 


VII. 
FREDERICKSBURG. 

(decemuek,  1862.) 


"Last  of  all,  the  brave  Burnsidc, 

With  his  pontoon  bridges,  tried 
A  road  no  one  had  thought  of  before  him, 

With  two  hundred  thousand  men 

For  the  rebel  "  slaughter  pen," 
And  the  blessed  Union  flag  aflying  o'er  him  ; 

But  he  met  a  "  fire  of  hell," 

Of  canister  and  shell, 
Enough  to  make  the  knees  of  any  man  knock  ; 

'Twas  a  shocking  sight  to  view, 

That  second  Waterloo, 
On  the  banks  of  the  pleasant  Rappahannock* 

Illustrated  News. 

Fredericksburg  is  free.  General  Lee's  victory 
on  the  thirteenth  of  December  was  complete  and 
glorious.  From  his  very  modest  official  report  I  ex- 
tract the  following  paragraphs: 

"On  the  night  of  the  10th  instant  the  enemy  commenced  to  throw- 
three  bridges  over  the  Rappahannock— two  at  Fredericksburg,  and 
the  third  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  below,  near  the  mouth  of  Deep 
Run. 

"  The  plain  ou  which  Fredericksburg  stands  is  so  completely- 
commanded  by  the  bills  of  Stafford,  in  possession  of  the  enemy, 
that  no  effectual  opposition  could  be  offered  to  the  construction  of 
the  bridges  or  the  passage  of  the  river,  without  exposiug  our  troops- 
to  the  destructive  fire  of  his  numerous  batteries.  Positions  were* 
therefore  seiected  to  oppose  his  advance  after  crossing. 

G* 


73  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 


<o 


"The  narrowness  of  the  Rappahannock,  its  winding  course  and 
deep  bed,  afforded  opportunity  for  the  construction  of  bridges  at 
points  beyond  the  reach  of  onr  artillery,  and  the  banks  had  to  be 
watched  by  skirmishers.  The  latter,  sheltering  themselves  behind 
the  houses,  drove  back  the  working  parties  of  the  enemy  at  the 
bridges  opposite  the  city  ;  but  at  the  lowest  point  of  crossing,  where 
no  shelter  could  be  had,  our  sharpshooters  were  themselves  driven 
off,  and  the  completion  of  the  bridges  was  affected -about  noou  on 
the  11th. 

"  In  the  afternoon  of  that  day  the  enemy's  batteries  opeiled  upon 
the  city,  and  by  dark  had  so  demolished  the  houses  on  the  river 
bank  as  to  deprive  our  skirmishers  of  shelter  ;  and,  under  cover  of 
his  guns,  he  effected  a  lodgment  in  the  town. 

"  The  troops  which  had  so  gallantly  held  their  position  in  the 
city,  under  the  severe  cannonade  during  the  day,  resisting  the  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy  at  every  step,  were  withdrawn  during  the 
night,  as  were  also  those  who  with  equal  tenacity  had  maintained 
their  post  at  the  lowest  bridge.  Under  cover  of  darkness  and  of  a 
dense  fog,  on  the  12th,  a  large  force  passed  the  river  aud  took  posi. 
tion  on  the  right  bank,  protected  by  their  heavy  guns  on  the  left. 

"The  morning  of  the  13th,  his  arrangements  for  attack  being 
completed,  about  nine  o'clock,  the  movement  veiled  by  a  fog,  he 
advanced  boldly  in  large  force  against  our  right  wing.  Gen.  Jack- 
son's corps  occupied  the  right  of  our  line,  which  rested  on  the  rail- 
road ;  Gen.  Longstreet's,  the  left,  extending  along  the  heights  to 
the  Rappahannock  above  Fredericksburg.-  Gen.  Stuart,  with  two 
brigades  of  cavalry,  was  posted  in  the  extensive  plain  on  our  ex- 
treme right. 

"  As  soon  as  the  advance  of  the  enemy  was  discovered  through 
the  fog,  Gen.  Stuart,  with  his  accustomed  promptness  moved  up  a 
section  of  his  horse  artillery,  which  opened  with  effect  upon  his 
flank,  and  drew  upou  the  gallant  Pel  ham  a  heavy  firo,  which  he 
sustained  unflinchingly  for  about  two  hours.  In  the  meantime,  the 
enemy  was  fiercely  encountered  by  Gen.  A.  P.  Hill's  Division, 
forming  Gen.  Jackson's  right,  and  after  an  obstinate  combat  re- 
pulsed. During- this  attack,  which  was  protracted  aud  hotly  con- 
tested, two  of  Gen.  Hill's  brigades  were  driven  back  upon  our 
second  line. 

"  General  Early,  with  part  of  his  division,  being  ordered  to  his 
support,  drove  the  enemy  back  from  a  point  of  woods  he  had  seized, 


FREDERICKSBURG.  79 

and  pursued  him  into  the  plain  until  arrested  by  his  artillery  The 
right  of  the  enemy's  column  extending  beyond  Hill's  front,  en- 
countered the  right  of  Gen.  Hood,  but  were  quickly  dispossessed 
and  repulsed  with  loss. 

."  During  the  attack  on  our  right  the  enemy  was  crossing  troops 
over  his  bridges  at  Fredericksburg,  and  massing  them  in  front  of 
Longstreet's  line.  Soon  after  his  repulse  on  our  right  he  commonced 
a  series  of  attacks  on  our  left,  with  a  view  of  obtaining  possession 
of  the  heights  immediately  overlooking  the  town.  These  repeated 
attacks  were  repulsed  in  gallant  style  by  the  Washington  Artillery 
under  Colonel  Walton,  and  a  portion  of  McLaw's  Division  which  oc- 
cupied those  heights. 

"  The  last  assault  was  made  after  dark,  when  Col.  Alexander's 
Battalion  had  relieved  the  Washington  Artillery,,  (whose  ammuni- 
tion had  been  exhausted,)  and  ended  the  contest  for  the  day.  The 
enemy  was  supported  in  his  attack  by  the  fire  of  strong  batteries  of 
artillery  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  as  well  as  by  the  numerous 
heavy  batteries  on  the  Stafford  heights." 

The  correspondent  of  the  London  Times  thus 
describes  the  gallant  action  and  melancholy  fate  of 
Meagher's  Irish  Brigade : 

"  Meanwhile  the  battle,  which  had  dashed  furiously  against  the 
lines  of  Gen.  Hood,  A.  P.  Hill,  and  Early,  was  little  more  than 
child's  play,  as  compared  with  the  onslaught  directed  by  the  Federals 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Fredericksburg.  The  impression 
that  the  Confederate  batteries  would  not  fire  heavily  upon  the  Fed- 
erals advancing  in  this  quarter,  for  fear  of  injuring  the  town  of 
Fredericksburg,  is  believed  to  have  prevailed  among  the  Northern 
generals.  How  bitterly  they  deceived  themselves  subsequent  events 
served  to  show.  To  the  Irish  division,  commanded  by  General 
Meagher,  was  principally  committed  the  desperate  task  of  bursting 
out  of  the  town  of  Fredericksburg,  and  forming  under  the  withering 
fire  of  the  Confederate  batteries,  to  attack  Mam's  Heights,  towering 
immediately  in  their  front.  Never,  at  Fonteroy,  at  Albuera,  or  at 
Waterloo,  was  more  undoubted  courage  displayed  by  the  sons  of 
Erin  than  during  those  six  frantic  dashes  which  they  directed 
against,  the  almost  impregnable  position  of  their  foe.  Thero  are 
stories  that  General  Meagher  harrangued  his  troops  in  impassioned' 


80  CAMP    AND    FIELD. 

language  on  tbo  morning  of  the  13th,  and  plied  thorn  extensively 
with  the  whiskey  found  in  the  cellars  of  Fredericksburg.  After 
witnessing  the  gallantry  and  devotion  exhibited  by  his  troops,  and 
viewing  the  hilsides  for  acres  strewn  with  their  corpses  thick  a.s 
autumnal  leaves,  the  spectator  can  remember  nothing  but  their 
desperate  courage,  and  regret  that  it  was  not  exhibited  in  a  holier 
cause.  That  any  mortal  men  could  have  carried  the  positiou  be- 
fore which  they  were  wantonly  sacrificed,  defended  as  it  was,  it 
seems  to  me  idlo  for  a  moment  to  believe,  lint  the  bodies  which 
lie  in  dense  masses  within  forty  yards  of  the  muzzles  of  Col.  Wal- 
ton's guns  are  the  best  evidence  what  manner  of  merr they  were 
who  pressed  on  to  death  with  the  dauntlessness  of  a  race  which  has 
gained  glory  on  a  thousand  battle  fields,  and  never  more  richly  de- 
served it  than  at  the  foot  of  Marye's  Higlits  on  the  13th  day  of 
December,  1862." 

On  the  night  of  the  fifteenth,  Burnside  withdrew 
his  troops  across  the  river,  and  telegraphed  to  the 
War  Department  at  Washington  that  they  were 
"safe."  Being  safe  on  the  north  side  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock, however,  with  the  loss  of  twenty-five  or 
thirty  thousand  men",  is  somewhat  different  from  be- 
ing safe  in  the  Confederate  Capital,  with  President. 
Cabinet  and  Congress  in  custody.  His  army  was, 
to  Lee's,  as  three  to  one;  and  his  loss  in  proportion 
to  the  number  engaged,  was  equal  to  Napoleon's  at 
Waterloo,  though  the  French  were  there  completely 
routed. 

A  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  writ- 
ing from  the  scene  of  action  in  a  most  melancholy 
strain,  thus  pays  an  involuntary  tribute  to  the  bravery 
of  our  troops,  and  gives  their  commanding  offi- 
cers credit  for  great  skill  and  management: 

"The  Confederate  leaders  have  acted  with  their  usual  wiliness  in 
this  whole  matter.  They  did  well  to  let  us  into  Fredericksburg  firing 
but  a  half  dozen  guns,  when  they  eould    have   brought  a    hundred 


FREDERICKSBURG.  81 

to  bear  upon  us.  The  city  itself  was  the  veriest  trap  that  ever  was 
laid,  and  we  have  walked  iDto  it.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  with  such 
a  position,  on  the  inside  of  an  arc  of  a  circle  of  batteries, 

•  '  Mid  upper,  nether  and  surrounding  fires,' 

our  troops  were  over  and  over  again  broken  and  shattered  in  their 
attempt  to  take  it  ?  The  wonder  is  that  such  admirable  pluck  was 
shown." 

An  eye  witness  of  th^  desolation  says  : 

"  No  city  on  this  continent  ever  presented  such  a  spectacle  aa 
Fredericksburg  did  after  it  had  been  reentered  by  our  troops. 
Every  house  in  the  place  had  been  thoroughly  pillaged  from  the 
garret  to  the  cellar.  Every  thing  that  was  useful  or  serviceable 
was  carried  off.  Whatever  they  could  not  carry  off,  the  scoundrels 
destroyed.  There  was  not  a  chair,  or  a  sofa,  or  a  bureau,  or  a 
wardrobe,  or  a  carpet,  or  a  window-shade,  or  a  piece  of  china  or 
crockery- ware,  left  entire.  Burnside  promised  his  thieves  the  pil- 
lage of  the  place,  and  he  kept  his  word.  Deadly  retribution  fol- 
lowed swift  upon  the  heels  of  this  crime  ;  but  it  has  left  thousands 
without  the  means  of  supporting  life." 

To  the  foregoing  I  add  a  brief  extract  from  the 
Richmond  Examiner: 

"Burnside  has  been  irretrievably  defeated.  He  escaped  what 
might  perhaps  have  been  the  most  extensive  military  catastrophe  of 
modern  times,  except  the  annihilation  of  the  army  which  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  led  to  Moscow,  only  because  the  Confederates  did  not 
realize  tho  amount  of  the  puttishment  they  had  inflicted  on  their  ad- 
versaries, or  the  degree  of  consequent  demoralization  into  which 
they  forthwith  fell.  It  may  be  assumed  as  quite  certain  that  this 
portion  of  the  enemy's  forces  will  attempt  no  further  offensive  ope- 
rations during  this  winter.  They  may  possibly  endeavor  to  pass 
the  season  in  the  Northern  Neck  ;  and  although  Gen.  Leo  may  not 
find  it  safe  to  attempt  the  subsistence  of  his  whole  army  beyond 
the  Rappahannock,  there  is  no  reason  why  Jackson,  with  a  column 
of  thirty  thousand,  should  not  fall  on  the  cowed  mass  of  brute  force 
between  the  Potomac  and  the  Rappahannock  like  a  swordfish  on 
the  sides  of  the  whale ;  and  if  not  destroy  it  in  detail,  at  least  create 


82  CAMP    AND    FIELD. 

such  annoyance  and  terror  as  to  render  safety  under  the  gnns  of 
Washington  an  object  even  more  desirable  to  the  Yankee  heart 
than  ever  was  the  plunder  of  Richmond." 

The  Northern  mind  was  now  perfectly  paralyzed, 

and  its  "hope  was  as  the  giving  up  of  the  ghost/' 

When  it  began  to  recover  from  the  shock,  it  vented 

its  rage  and  despair  in  bitter  execrations  and  doleful 

threnodies.      The  Washington  .Republican  thought 

Lincoln  had  better  withdraw  the  army  from  Virginia 

for  the  protection   of  the  Capital.     The    Louisville 

Journal  said  it  was  "  painful  and  absolutely  sickening 

to  think  of  the  horrible  slaughter  of  our  troops  at 

Fredericksburg,"  and  declared  that  the  war  could 

not  be  carried  on  much  longer  as  it  had  been.     The 

New  York  World  regarded  this  defeat  as  "the  most 

disastrous  of  the  war,"  and  added, — 

"  If,  in  the  present  posture  of  affairs,  the  President  issues  his 
threatened  emancipation  proclamation  on  the  1st  of  January,  he 
will  bo  simply  an  object  of  derision.  To  proclaim  the  slaves  free 
immediately  after  the  rebels  have  met  him  at  the  threshold  of  their 
territory  and  driven  him  ignominiously  out,  would  be  a  piece  of 
ridiculous  bravado  that  would  make  him  the  laughing  stock  of  the 
world.  If  he  happens  to  be  in  a  proclaiming  mood  on  the  first  of 
January,  let  him  proclaim  freedom  to  the  Northern  citizens  in  the 
South,  who  were  overtaken  there  by  the  rebellion,  and  have  not 
been  able  to  get  away.  Let  him  proclaim  freedom  to  the  Union 
men  of  East  Tennessee,  who  have  so  long  listeued  in  vain  for  the 
chariot  wheels  of  deliverance.  Everybody  sees  how  futile  and 
ridiculous  it  would  be  for  Mr.  Lincoln  to  publish  a  proclamation 
declaring  these  classes  free.  But  has  he  any  more  power  to  free 
the  negroes  than  to  free  them?  Have  not  they  at  least  as  strong  a 
claim  on  the  government  as  the  slaves.''  If  Mr.  Lincoln  has  as 
ready  perception  of  the  ridiculous  as  such  an  inveterate  maker  of 
jokes  ought  to  have,  he  will  postpone  his  "bull  against  the  comet." 
It  has  become,  however,  a  matter  of  no  sort  of  consequence,  either 
to  the  rebels  or  to  anybody  else,  whether  the  proclamation  be  issued 
or  not." 


FREDERICKSBURG.  83 

The  New  York  Herald  set  its  music  to  the  same 
melancholy  key.  It  said  this  appalling  disaster  had 
dissipated  the  confident  expectations  of  a  short, 
sharp  and  decisive  winter  campaign,  and  forced  the 
friends  of  the  Union  to  relinquish  all  hope  of  crash- 
ing the  rebellion  before  the  election  of  1864.  It  is 
ludicrous,  indeed,  to  hear  the  old  Scotch  blasphemer 
praying  as  lustily  as  a  shipwrecked  mariner,  and  in 
the  next  breath  cursing  the  officers  who  have  run 
the  ship  upon  the  rocks: — 

"Heaven  help  us  I  There  seems  to  be  no  help  in  man.  The 
cause  is  perishing.  Hope  after  hope  has  vanished,  till  now  the 
only  prospect  is  the  very  blackness  of  despair. 

"But  how  can  we  adjure  Heaven  for  help?  "Was  it  not  said  by 
the  wisest  of  Pagans  that  'there  is  a  stupidity  which  baffles  even 
the  gods  ?'  aud  is  it  not  a  proverb  among  Christians,  too,  that  '  God 
helps  those  only  who  help  themselves?'  What  ri^ht  have  we  to 
expect  that  even  Infinite  Mercy  will  stay  the  laws  of  the  universe 
that  we  and  ours  will  be  snatched  from  the  track  to  death?  Is  it 
not  impious  presumption  to  imagine  that  the  Eternal  Reason,  which 
has  ordained  cause  and  effect,  will  abdicate  to  suit  the  foil}'  that 
now  governs  us? 

"And  j'et  it  is  a  terrible  spectacle.  A  ship,  the  grandest  that 
ever  sailed  the  tide  of  time,  freighted  with  interests  for  the  race 
passing  all  calculation  and  beyond  all  price,  the  marvel  aud  the 
glory  of  the  whole  world — we  saj'  it  is  a  terrible  spectacle  to  see 
this  peerless  argosy  in  the  hands  of  chattering  idiots,  and  blind, 
blundering  imbeciles,  driving  straight  on  upon  the  breakers  and 
quicksands,  while  the  crow,  the  stoutest  and  the  most  faithful  that 
over  trod  deck,  are  compelled  to  look  passive^  on,  and,  in  sheer 
helplessness,  await  the  all-engulphin^  fate. 

"Don't  call  this  extravagant  language.  It  is  not  extravagant. 
It  but  feebly  expresses  the  dreadful  reality.  Here  we  are,  reeling 
back  from  the  third  campaign  upon  Richmond;  fifteen  thousand  of 
the  grand  army  sacrificed  at  one  swoop,  and  the  rest  escaping  only 
by  a  hair's  breadth  ;  and  all  fur  what?  For  the  same  old  accursed 
trio  of  imbeciles  at  Washington  ;  Lincoln,  Halleck,  and  Staunton. 


84  CAMP   AND    FIELD. 

"  Those  rebel  heights,  so  murderous,  might  have  been  carried 
without  a  blow,  had  the  pontoon  bridges  been  delivered  at  the  time 
promised  by  the  imbeciles  at  Washington.  In  the  face  of  the  stu- 
pendous work  which  the  enemy  was  able  to  accomplish  by  reason 
of  that  failure,  Bufnside  would  have  never  made  the  attack,  as  he 
did,  had  he  not,  in  spite  of  his  most  pressing  protests,  been  peremp- 
torily ordered  to  cross  that  river  and  storm  those  heights,  then  and 
there,  by  the  men  at  Washington.  That  is  the  true  record.  Not 
all  the  cunning  nor  all  the  impudence  of  White  IIouso  flunkeys  can 
change  that  record  one  iota.  Like  the  fatal  blunders  that  preceded 
it,  it  has  gone  unalterably  into  history. 

"Alas,  for  our  country!  Given  over,  it  would  seem,  to  the 
most  ignoble  fate  that  ever  befel  a  country  wrecked  by  imbeciles! 
Time  was,  we  have  read,  when  an  incompetent  ruler  was  not  per- 
mitted among  men.  If  he  could  not  or  would  not  gird  himself  up 
to  the  task  required  of  him,  he  had  to  give  way.  and  often  very 
swiftly  too,  to  the  man  whom  God  made  to  command.  This  cannot 
be  now.  The  people  have  named  the  one  to  hold  the  helm  of  State 
for  four  years,  come  sunshine  or  come  storm.  We  must  abide  him 
as  he  is,  and  find  in  his  drollery  what  solace  we  can.  And  yet  it  is 
a  pity  that  he  cannot  be  induced  to  call  in  proper  helpers." 

There  was  now  a  tremendous  jar  in  the  enginery 
of  the  steamship  of  state.  Captain  Lincoln  was  re- 
quested to  remove  it  all,  and  put  in  new,  if  he  eould 
not  devise  some  way  to  make  it  work  more  smoothly 
and  effectually.  Seward  and  Chase  anticipated  the 
action,  and  offered  to  retire.  The  President  told 
them  he  could  not  manage  the  craft  without  them, 
and  swore  that  he  would  not  be  dictated  to  by  the 
crew.  So  Seward  and  Chase  consented  to  remain  on 
board;  and  the  ponderous  machine,  which  came 
near  stopping  with  a  disastrous  shock,  went  grinding 
on,  red  with  the  blood  of  innumerable  hearts. 

The  imbroglio  is  only  quieted  for  a  season.  It  is 
a  forced  compromise,  not  a  cordial  reconciliation. 
The  smothered  fires  will  burst  forth  anew.     It  is  the 


FREDERICKSBURG.  g5 

old  everlasting  struggle  for  place  and  spoil.     One  of 
our  popular  journalists  very  justly  remarks: 

"Offices  cannot  he  given  to  all.     Contract  will  not  make  a  mil- 
lionaire of  every  Yankee.     The  sands  of  the  shore  and  the  water 
in  the  sea  have  both  limits  to  their  numbers  and  to  their  quantity  • 
the  offices  in  the  gift  of  Lincoln,  numerous  as  they  are,  have  been 
finally    counted ;  and  the  pockets  of  the  nation,  deep  though  they 
be,  have  been  sounded  by  the  lingers  of  peculators  till  their  bottom 
is  reached.     Without   the  door  of  the    treasury   stand   the  hungry 
millions  to  whom  no  morsel  of  the  feast  has  been  thrown.     The 
long  growl  rises  to  a  roar,  and  the  solid  gates  shake  under  their 
hands.     The  war  upon  the  South   has  drained  the  hearts  of  many 
and  fattened  the  purse  for  none  of  these.     The  quarrels  of  those 
Senators,  Cabinet  officers  and  Generals  are  but  the  whirling  chips 
and  scattering  foam  that  show  the  agitation  of  the  waters  beneath. 
It  will  be  found  impossible  to  reconcile  their  disputes,  for  they  are 
inspired  by  the  divisions  of  a   nation.     The  people  of  the  United 
States  have  ceased  to  bo  a  uuit;  even  for  the  plunder  and  murder  of 
the  South.     Here  we   have  a   solid  ground  for  satisfaction.     The 
real  union  of  a  nation  for  any  purpose,  good  or  bad,  constitutes  a 
tremendous   agency.     The   union   for  resistance   in    the   Southern 
Confederacy  exists  in  its  greatest  integrity.     The  combination  for 
attack  in   the  North  is  disordered  and  discordant.     That  division 
does  not  immediately  end  the   war,  nor  even  diminish  our  danger; 
but  it  is  an  element,  the  growth  of  which  will  render  our  safety 
and  success  purely  an  affair  of  time." 


VIII. 
MURFREESBORO 


(JANUARY,    1863.) 


"  If    WO 

Cannot  defend  our  own  door  from  the  Jog,, 

Let  us  bo  worried,  and  our  nation  lose 

The  name  of  hardiness  and  policy." 

Shakspjbare. 

For  several  successive  days  the  thunder  of  artil- 
lery had  heralded  the  approaching  storm  of  battle. 
Our  troops  had  fallen  back  from  Triune  and  Eagle- 
ville,  drawing  the  enemy  after  them.  The  army  of 
Tennessee  was  now  concentrated  at  Murfreesboro. 
A  line  of  battle  was  formed  in  front  of  the  town, 
crossing  Stone's  river,  the  railway,  and  the  Nashville 
turnpike;  and  extending  from  the  Lebanon  turnpike 
on  the  right  to  the  Franklin  road  on  the  left,  a 
distance  of  five  or  six  miles.  Here  our  brave  boys, 
with  their  gallant  officers,  calmly  awaited  the  invader 
of  their  homes,  the  despoiler  of  their  possessions, 
the  oppressor  of  their  families  and  friends.  Never 
were  troops  more  determined,  seldom  more  hopeful 
of  success. 

"  Thrice  is  he  armed,  that  hath  his  quarrel  just." 

Tuesday,  the  thirtieth  of  December,  there  wras 
warm  skirmishing    in    the    morning,  and   a   grand 


MURFREESBORO.  87 

artillery  duel  in  the  afternoon.  Toward  sunset,  the 
scene  became,  one  of  real  sublimity.  The  enemy, 
having  felt  carefully  our  entire  line,  now  concen- 
trated a  large  force,-  well  supported  by  batteries, 
against  Withers  and  Cheatham  in  the  center.  Here 
the  demons  of  war  raged  with  their  utmost  fury. 
Here  the  heroic  Robertson  and  the  intrepid  Stanford, 
with  their  artillery,  won  for  themselves  unfading 
laurels.  Here  our  valorous  Mississippians,  Ala- 
bamians,  and  Tennesseeans,  received  the  shock  of 
four  times  their  number,  and  strewed  the  field  with 
the  slaughtered  hirelings  of  the  Northern  despot. 
And  here,  when  night  closed  over  the  scene,  they 
lay  down  in  the  mud,  without  blankets  or  fires, 
under  a  bitter  north  wind,  and  awaited  the  return  of 
the  daylight  and  the  renewal  of  the  strife. 

Cold,  and  clear,  and  calm,  dawned  the  memorable 
thirty-first — a  glorious  morning  to  meet  the  foe.  The 
embattled  host  presented  a  splendid  sight — Brecken- 
ridge  with  his  Kentuckians  on  the  right,  McCown 
and  Clcburn  on  the  left,  Withers  and  Cheatham  in 
the  center — more  than  thirty  thousand  patriots, 
forming  a  living  wall  between  the  ruthless  invader 
and  their  own  precious  liberty.     * 

"  To  hero  boon  for  battle  strifc, 

Or  bard  of  martial  lay, 
'Twere  worth  ten  years  of  peaceful  life, 

One  glance  at  their  array." 

Before  them  stood  the  serried  ranks  of  the  enemy, 
seventy  thousand  strong,  with  a  reserve  of  thirty  or 
forty  thousand  in  their  rear,  and  a  hundred  and  fifty 
pieces  of  artillery. 


88  CM.MP    AND    FIELD. 

The  sun  had  not  yet  risen  when  a  general  advance 
of  our  left  wing  was  ordered.  McCown's  division 
moved  forward  with  the  impetuosity  of  the  tempest, 
sweeping  before  them  like  thistle-down  a  foree  six 
times  their  number.  Cleburn's  followed,  with  shouts 
whieh  rent  the  welkin,  and  struck  terror  into  the 
hearts  of  the  Yankee  host.  Then  moved  Withers 
and  Cheatham,  with  eqnal  or  superior  enthusiasm, 
mowing  down  the  flying  foe 

"  As  the  reaper  mows  the  grain." 

Ever  and  anon  the  fugitives  rallied,  formed  anew, 
and  met  the  fury  of  the  Confederate  charge ;  but 
again  and  again  they  wavered,  broke  their  ranks, 
and  fled  like  frightened  sheep.  Battery  after  battery 
was  taken,  and  soon  the  field  was  blue  with  Yankee 
breeches. 

At  this  stage  of  the  battle  fell  the  gallant  Bains. 
His  brigade  seemed  to  be  engaged  with  a  whole 
division.  A  murderous  fire,  from  front  and  flank, 
threatened  their  annihilation.  lie  galloped  to  the 
van,  and  perished  with  the  word  "Forward!"  upon 
his  lips.     A  minie  ball  had  pierced  his  heart. 

By  ten  o'clock  our  left  had  driven  the  enemy's 
right  back  nearly  three  miles.  At  this  hour  the 
writer  arrived  upon  the  field,  having  ridden  fifteen 
miles  that  morning,  hearing  the  terrific  sound  of 
battle  all  the  way  like  the  roar  of  a  distant  storm. 
I  found  our  division,  witli  its  center  near  the  ruins 
of  Cowan's  house,  its  right  on  Stone's  river,  and  its 
left  on  the  Wilkerson  turnpike.  General  Cheatham 
was  riding  to  and  fro  like  a  monarch  on  some  grand 


MUR.FREESBORO.  §  89 

gain  day,  seeming  somewhat  more  at  home  than 
usual.  General  Donelson  displayed  a  cool  courage 
which  was  truly  sublime, 

"  And  by  his  rare  example  made  the  crowd 
Turn  terror  into  sport." 

This  was  the  fiercest  scene  upon  the  field.  Rose- 
erans,  with  his  right  driven  back  upon  his  center, 
had  made  a  desperate  stand.  His  forces,  with  the 
greater  part  of  his  artillery,  were  now  massed  upon 
a  slight  elevation.  It  was  a  formidable  position,  a 
ledge  of  limestone  famishing  a  natural  breastwork 
for  the  men.  Chalmers  had  been  ordered  to  charge 
this  stronghold  ;  had  moved  forward  gallantly  to  the 
task ;  but  had  been  severely  wounded,  and  forced  to 
fall  back  under  the  concentrated  fire  of  the  foe. 
Donelson,  with  his  brigade,  now  rushed  to  his  support 
like  an  ocean  wave  upon  a  rocky  shore.  Colonel 
Savage,  on  the  right,  was  raging  to  and  fro,  across 
the  railroad  and  the  Nashville  turnpike,  stretching 
his  regiment  out  from  the  river  to  Cowan's  house, 
and  thus  holding  a  large  space  of  ground  under  a 
tremendous  hail  of  shot  and  shell ;  while  Carnes's 
battery,  in  his  rear,  was  sending  death  and  hell  over 
the  heads  of  his  men,  into  the  solid  ranks  of  the  foe. 
The  brave  Colonel  Moore,  at  the  head  of  the  invin- 
cible Eighth,  was  "jeoparding  his  life  unto  the  death 
in  the  high  places  of  the  held." 

,l  He  bore  him  in  tlie  thickest  troop, 
As  doth  a  lion  in  a  herd  of  neat, 
Or  as  a  bear  encompassed  round  with  dogs." 

It  was  his  last  charge,,  and    three  hundred   of  his 
H* 


90  CAMP    AND    FIKL1X 

command  fell  with  their  heroic  leader.  ChesJ 
Carter  also,  with  their  respective  regiments,  did  their 
doty  nobly  ;  and  the  First  Brigade  of  the  First 
Division  that  day  covered  themselves  with  glory. 
The  battle  increased  in  furv  till  one  o'clock,  when  it 
abated  for  a  season,  from  the  sheer  exhaustion  of  the 
troops.  General  Donelson's  horse  had  been  shot  under 
him,  and  seven  hundred  of  his  men  had  been  killed 
and  wounded ;  but  he  had  captured  eleven  cannon, 
taken  more  than  a  thousand  prisoners,  and  strewed 
the  field  afar  with  the  ghastly  wrecks  of  Northern 
fanaticism  and  hate. 

A  Yankee  writer  from  the  battle-field,  to  one  of 
the  Cincinnati  papers,  gives  the  following  graphic 
account  of  this  act  of  the  drama : 

"The  enemy  succeeded  •  in  getting  the,  right  flank  completely 
hemmed  in.  A  large  number  of  officers  of  every  grade  were  shot 
down  while  standing  almost  at  the  muzzle  of  the  rebel  muskets. 
The  brigades  and  regiments  rushed  upon  one  another  in  disgraceful 
disorder,  and  the  rout  of  the  division  became  irretrievable. 

"I  suppose  T  shall  raise  a  storm  about  my  head  for  saying  so. 
but  I  can't,  from  all  that  1  have  heard,  come  to  any  other  con- 
clusion, than  that  the  right  wing  of  tho  army  was  completely  sur- 
prised, and  that,  too,  under  circumstances  which  should  have  ren- 
dered it  particularly  careful  and  vigilant.    t 

"  Whether  General  McCook  or  General  Johnston  is  to  blame,  tlwB 
impartial  investigation  will  hereafter  determine.  .At  present  the 
sentiment  of  the  entire  army  is  extremely  hostile  to  both,  and  1 
imagine  it  will  not  be  many  days  before  there  are  important 
changes  in  the  leadership-  of  the  fourteenth  army  corps. 

"  Brigade  after  brigade,  battery  after  battery,  from  Palmer's, 
Negley's,  and  Rousseau's  divisions,'  were  sent  into  the  midst  of  the 
thickets  to  check  the  progress  of  the  foe  and  rally  the  fugitives, 
but  all  in  turn  were  either  crushed  by  the  flying  crowds,  broken  by 
.the  impetuosity  of  the  foe,  and  put  to  confused  flight,  or  compelled 
to  retire  and  extricate  themselves  in  the  Lest  manner  that  seemtd 
■lo  offer. 


• 
MURFREESBORO.  91 


"The  history  of  the  combat  in  these  dark  cedar  thickets  will 
never  bo  known.  No  man  could  see  even  the  whole  of  his  regi- 
ment, and  no  one  will  ever  bo  able  to  tell  who  they  were  that 
fought  bravest,  and  they  who  proved  recreant  to  their  trust. 

"  I  know  there  was  some  cowardice  displayed  ;  but  I  know,  too, 
that  there  was  shown  by  many  officers  and  regiments  as  lofty  a 
heroism  as  that  which  distinguished  and  immortalized  tho  followers 
of  Godfrey  or  the  Cid ;  but,  in  spite  of  heroism  and  devotion,  in 
wpite  of  desperate  struggles  which  marked  every  fresh  advance  of 
tho  foe,  in  spite  of  awful  sacrifice  of  life  on  the  part  of  the  officers 
and  soldiers  of  the  Union  army,  the  rebels  still  steadily  pushed 
forward  and  came  nearer  to  the  turnpike. 

'* Nearly  two  miles  and  a  half  the  right  wing  of  our  army  had 
been  driven,  and  faintness  of  heart  came  over  me  as  the  destruction 
of  our  whole  army  seemed  to  stare  us  in  the  face. 

"  The  right  of  Davis's  division,  assailed  at  the  same  time  as 
Johnston's,  gave  way  simultaneously,  and  the  rout  of  the  remainder 
seemed  to  follow  as  a  matter  of  courso.  This  left  to  Gen.  Sheridan 
the  task  of  repelling  the  hitherto  successful  onset  of  the  foe.  Never 
did  man  labor  more  faithfully  than  ho  to  perform  his  task,  and 
never  was  a  leader  seconded  by  more  gallant  soldiers. 

11  His  division  formod  a  kind  of  pivot  upon  which  tho  broken 
right  wing  turned  in  its  flight,  and  its  perilous  condition  can  be 
easily  imagined  when  the  flight  of  Davis's  division  left  it  without 
any  protection  from  the  triumphant  enemy,  who  now  swarmed 
upon  its  front  and  right  flank  ;  but  it  fought  until  a  fourth  of  its 
number  lay  bleeding  and  dying  upon  the  field,  and  till  both  remain- 
ing brigade  com  ma  riders,  Colonels  Robert  and  Schaefler,  had  met 
with  the  same  fate  of  Gen.  Sill.  Then  it  gave  way,  and,  as  in 
almost  every  instance  of  the  kind,  retreat  was  changed  to  rout,  only 
less  complete  than  that  of  the  troops  of  Johnson  and  Davia 

"<■  11  these  divisions  were  now  hurled  back  together  into  the  im- 
mense cedar  thickets  which  skirt  the  turnpike,  and  were  hurried 
over  toward  the  right,  and  massed  rank  behind  rank  in  an  array  of 
imposing  grandeur  along  tho  turnpike  and  facing  to  the  woods 
through  which  the  rebels  were  advancing.  The  scene  at  this  time 
was  grand  and  awful  as  anything  I  ever  expect  to  witness  until  the 
day  of  judgment. 

"  I  blood  in  tho  mitlst  »ud  upon  the  highest  point  of  the  somewhat 


92  CAMP    AND    FIE  F.I). 


elevated  space,  being  between  the  turnpike  and  the  railroad,  and 
forming  the  key  to  our  entire  position.  Let  the  rebels  once  obtain 
possession  of  it,  and  the  immense  trains  of  wagons  parked  along 
the  turnpike,  and  the  Union  army  was  irretrievably  ruined.  Even 
its  line  of  retreat  would  be  cut  offhand  nothing  could  save  it  from 
utter  rout,  slaughter  and  capture — and  yet  each  minute  it  became 
more  and  more  painfully  evident  that  all  the  reinforcements  which 
had  been  hurried  into  the  woods  to  sustain  and  rally  the  broken 
wing  and  check  the  progress  of  the  enemy  in  that  direction,  had 
proved  inadequate  to  the  task,  and  had  in  turn  been  overthrown  by 
the  great  mass  which  was  straggling  in  inextricable  disorder  through 
the  woods. 

''Such  sounds  as  proceeded  from  that  gloomy  fbrest  of  pines  and 
cedars  were  enough  to  appal  with  terror  the  stoutest  hearts.  The 
roar  of  cannon,  the  crashing  of  sl»ot  through  the  trees,  the  whizzing 
and  bursting  of  the  shells,  the  uninterrupted  rattle  of  thirty  thous- 
and musketS — all  mingled  in  one  prolonged  and  tremendous  volume 
of  sound,  as  though  all  the  thunders  of  heaven  had  been  rolled 
together,  and  each  individual  burst  of  celestial  artillery  had  beet, 
rendered  perpetual.  Above  it  all  could  be  heard  the  wild  cheer  of 
the  traitorous  host,  as  body  after  body  of  our  troops  gave  way,  and 
were  pushed  toward  the  turnpike. 

"Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  stqrm,  louder  and  louder  resounded 
the  tumult  of  battle.  The  immense  train  of  wagons  parked  along 
the  road  suddenly  seemod  instinct  with  struggling  life,  and  every 
species  of  army  vehicle,  preceded  by  frightened  mules  and  horses, 
rolled  and  rattled  away  pell-mell  in  an  opposite  direction,  pressing 
onward.  The  shouts  and  cries  of  the  terrified  teamsters,  urgiug 
their  teams  to  the  top  of  their  speed,  were  now  mingled  with  the 
billows  of  sound  which  swayed  and  surged  over  the  field. 

"  Everything  now  depended  upon  the  regiments  and  batteries 
which  the  genius  qf  Rosecrans  had  massed  along  the  turnpike  to 
receive  the  enemy  when  he  should  emerge  from  the  woods  in  pur- 
suit of  our  broken  and  flying  battalions.  Suddenly  the  rout  be- 
camo  visible,  and  a  crowd  or  ten  thousand  fugitives,  presenting 
overy  possible  phase  of  wild  and  uncontrollable  disorder,  burst 
from  the  cedar  thickets,  and  rushed  into  the  open  spaco  between 
them  and  the  turnpike.  Among  them  all,  perhaps  no  half  dozen 
members  of  the  same  regiment  could  have  been  found  together. 


MURFREESBORO.  93 

"  Thick  and  fast  the  bulleta  of  the  enemy  fell  among  them,  and 
scores  were  shot  down  ;  but  still  the  number  constantly  increased 
by  reason  of  the  fresh  crowd  which  burst  every  moment  from  the 
thickets.  It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  some  of  the  regi- 
ments which  had  been  massed  together,  as  a  sort  of  forlorn  hope, 
to  withstand,  and  if  possible,  drive  back  the  victorious  cohorts  of 
treason,  could  prevent  their  ranks  from  being  crushed  or  broken  by 
the  mass  of  fugitives. 

"From  my  position  upon  the  elevated  ground  between  the  rail- 
road and  turnpike,  I  could  view  the  whole  scene^  and  with  an  in- 
tensity of  interest  and  tumultuous  emotion  which  I  can  find  no  lan- 
guage to  express.  The  flower  of  our  troops  were  ranged  in  order 
here,  and  I  had  no  fears  for  the  result,  unless  one  of  those  unac- 
countable panics,  which  sometimes  reign,  even  in  an  army  of  vete- 
rans, should  seize  upon  our  yet  unbroken  battalions.  Yet  there 
were  men  not  liable  to  panic,  men  whose  lofty  courage  and  devotion 
to  their  country's  cause  overcame  and  extinguished  fear. 

"With  cool,  calm  courage,  General  Crittenden  awaited  the  coming 
storm,  and  conspicuous  among  the  rest  was  the  well-built  form  of 
the  commanding  General,  his  countenanco  unmoved  by  the  tumolt 
around  him,  and  his  thoughtful  and  animated  features  expressing  a 
high  and  patriotic  hope,  which  acted  like  an  inspiration  upon  every 
one  that  beheld  him  as  he  cast  his  eyes  over  the  grand  array  which 
he  had  mustered  to  repel  the  foe.  He  already  felt  himself  master  of 
the  situation. 

"  At  last  the  long  lines  of  the  enemy  emerged  from  the  woods, 
rank  behind  rank,  arfd  with  a  demoniac  yell,. intended  to  strike 
terror  into  the  'Yankees'  who  stood  before  them,  charged  with 
fearful  energy  almost  to  the  very  muzzles  of  the  cannon,  whose 
dark  mouths  yawned  upon  them.  A  dazzling  sheel  of  flame  burst 
from  the  ranks  of  the  Union  forces,  an  awful  roar  shook  the  earth, 
a  crash  rent  the  air,  the  foremost  lines  of  tho  rebel  host  were  lite- 
rally swept  from  the  field,  aud  seemed  to  melt  away  like  snow 
flakes  before  the  flame,  and  then  both  armies  were  enveloped  in 
a  cloud  of  smoko  which  hid  everything  from  the  eye. 

"In  the  still  visible  ground  between  the  pike  and  the  railroad  tho 
tumult  redoubled.  Not  knowing  what  would  be  the  result  of  the 
strife  which  was  raging  under  tho  great  canopy  of  smoke  that  con- 
coaled  the  combatants,  the  flight  of  those  in  charge  of  wagons  and 


94  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

ambulances  became  still  more  rapid  and  disordered.  Thousand 
fugitives  from  the  right  wing  mingled  with  the  teams,  and  fee. 
quently  a  mass  of  men,  horses,  and  wagons,  would  be  crashed  and 
ground  together.  Every  conceivable  form  of  deadly  missile  whizzed 
and  whirled  and  burst  amid  the  crowd,  and  terror  and  dismay  ruled 
uncontrollably.'' 

Having  witnessed  these  splendid  exploits,  I  retired 
to  the  rear,  crossed  the  river,  and  rode  up  to  Cobb's 
battery  on  the  right,  where  1  had  a  bettor  view  of 
the  Yankee  stronghold.  Here  I  remained  half  an 
hour,  observing  the  magnificent  action  of  our  artil- 
lery, till  the  deadly  missiles  came  too  fierce  and 
frequent  for  my  -perfect  peace  of  mind.  So  I  rode 
down  to  a  thicket  on  the  river  bank,  where  I  thought 
my  precious  life  would  be  safer,  though  somewhat 
nearer  the  enemy.  Scarcely  had  I  alighted  from  my 
saddle,  when  a  terrific  shower  of  shot  and  shell,  of 
aft  sorts  and  sizes,  fell  among  the  trees,  and  rattled 
against  the -rocks.  Several  of  these  sweet  singers 
passed  inconveniently  near  me.  A  bomb  exploded 
within  a  few  feet  of  my  barb.  A  cannon  ball  struck 
in  the  brink  of  the  river,  and  bespattered  my  pulpit 
suit  with  muddy  water.  A  friend  at  my  elbow  now 
suggested  that*  a  change  of  climate  might  be  favor- 
able to  health.  I  was  not  long  in  debating  the 
question ;  and  the  way  Fanny  carried  me  out  of 
that  thicket  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  spec- 
tacles of  this  eventful  day. 

In  a  few  moments  I  found  myself  near  my  old 
position  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream.  General 
Bragg  was  there,  pacing  up  and  down  with  his  hands 
behind  him,  apparently  insensible  of  peril.  General 
Polk  was  sitting  upon  his  horse  hard  by,  as  calm  in 


MURFREESBORO.  95 

aspect  as  a  summer  evening.  Their  respective  staffs 
and  escorts  were  clustered  about  them ;  and  every 
instant  some  courier  was  arriving  with  tidings,  and 
another  was  galloping  away  over  the  smoky  field. 
Surely,  there  could  be  little  danger  here.  I  dis- 
mounted, and  held  my  barb  by  the  bridle.  Whew — 
whish — :whiz—  whir — whang — whack!  One  would 
think  all  the  Yankee  guns  were  suddenly  turned 
upon  this  particular  spot !  A  shell  falls  close  by 
three  men  who  are  sitting  upon  the  ground,  and  it  is 
beautiful  to  see  them  change  their  base.  One  of 
them  commences  skedaddling  on  all  fours,  and  runs 
some  fifty  yards  before  he  fairly  attains  an  erect  atti- 
tude ;  while  another,  looking  one  way  and  retreating 
the  opposite,  plunges  headlong  into  a  sink-hole',  and 
lies  there  quietly — whether  because  he  is  killed,  or 
because  he  thinks  he  has  gained  a  better  position, 
perhaps  I  had  as  well  not  tarry  to  inquire.  Fanny, 
the  General  has  gone;  is  it  not  time  the  Chaplain 
were  going? 

It  is  past  three  o'clock.  Breckenridge  has  hitherto 
been  held  in  reserve  on  the  right.  He  now  crosses 
the  river,  and  assails  the  rocky  fastness  of  the  foe. 
Adams  and  Jackson's  brigades  rush  on  like  a  cata- 
ract. The  first  charge  is  'unsuccessful.  The  second 
also  is  repulsed.  While  they  are  preparing  for  the 
third,  night  closes  in  upon  victor  and  vanquished, 
the  living'and  the  dead.  I  fail  into  the  great  current 
of  humanity  that  is  sweeping  townward,  and  find  a 
hospitable  welcome  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Drom- 
goole. 

With  the  dawn  of  the  new  year  comes  the  sullen 


9()  CAMP    AND    FIELD. 

boom  of  cannon.  The  house  trembles,  and  the 
windows  rattle.  Captain  Carries  and  Captain  Byrnes 
are  shelling  the  enemy  out  of  the  ditches  which  he 
has  dug  during  the  night. 

Soon  after  sunrise  I  ride  out  to  the  lines.  General 
Donelson  is  parching  some  corn  on  a  bit  of  tin  for 
his  breakfast.  lie  has  had  nothing  to  eat  since  yes- 
terday morning.  Some  of  his  men,  I  dare  say,  have 
fasted  as  long  as  he.  So  had  those  dead  Yankees, 
who  ■  lie  by  scores  around  him.  Many  of  them 
expired  with  crackers  in  their  hands — even  between 
their  teeth.  The  ground  is  strewed  everywhere 
with  arms,  canteens,  knapsacks,  haversacks,  cartouch- 
boxes,  the  wrecks  of  gun-carriages  and  caisons,  and 
slain  horses  mingling  with  murdered  men.  Little 
knots  of  soldiers  are  burying  their  butchered  com- 
rades; and  solitary  individuals,  here  and  there,  are 
strolling  about  in  quest  of  spoil.  One  is  pulling  a 
pair  of  boots  from  the  feet  of  a  foeman  he  has  no 
longer  any  reason  to  fear;  another  is  divesting  a 
defunct  Lieutenant  of  a  pair  of  blue  pants  which  are 
rather  more  tidy  than  his  own  ;  a  third  has  possessed 
himself  of  a  gold  watch  which  its  former  proprietor 
is  not  likely  to  need  again ;  a  fourth  is  quietly 
investigating  the  contents  of  a  pocket-  book  that  he 
has  appropriated  ;  and  a  fifth  I  fear  will  kill  himself 
with  laughter  over  a  Yankee  love-letter  he  is  reading. 

There  is  no  fighting  now.  The  two.  armies  lie 
opposite  each  other,  like  two  wild  beasts  exhausted 
with  the  rage  of  battle,  eyeing  each  other  ferociously, 
and  ready  to  spring  again  upon  each  other's  throat. 
I  seize  the  opportunity  of  the  uncertain  respite  for 


MURFREESBORO.  97 

surveying,  as  far  as  practicable,  the   scene   of  yes- 
terday's slaughter. 

Ah!  how  many  expired  with  the  year!  Here 
they  lie,  friend  and  foe,  in  every  possible  position,  a 
vast  promiscuous  ruin, 

41  They  sleep  their  last  sleep  ;  they  have  fought  their  last  battle  ; 
No  sound  shall  awake  them  to  glory  again." 

After  a  pretty  thorough  inspection  of  the  ground 
in  the  rear  of  our  lines,  from  Stone's  river  to  the 
extreme  left,  I  ride  to  the  front,  where  the  dead  lie 
thick  among  the  cedars,  in  the  proportion  of  five 
Yankees  to  one  Southron.  Here  are  sights  to  sicken 
the  bravest  heart,  sad  lessons  for  human  passion  and 
oppression.  Here  is  a  foot,  shot  off  at  the  ankle,  a 
fine  model  for  a  sculptor.  Here  is  an  officer's  hand, 
severed  from  the  wrist,  with  the  glove  still  upon  it, 
and  the  sword  in  its  grasp.  Here  is  an  entire  brain, 
perfectly  isolated,  showing  no  sign  of  violence,  as  if 
carefully  taken  from  the  skull  that  enclosed  it  by 
the  hands  of  a  skillful  surgeon.  Here  is  a  corpse, 
sitting  upon  the  ground,  with  its  back  against  a  tree, 
in  the  most  natural  position  of  life,  holding  before 
its  face  the  photograph  likeness  of  a  good-looking  old 
lady,  probably  the  dead  man's  mother.  4  Here  is  a 
poor  fellow,  who  has  crawled  into  the  corner  of  the 
fence  to  read  his  sister's  letter,  and  expired  in  the 
act  of  its  perusal,  the  precious  document  still  open 
before  him  full  of  affectionate  counsel.  Here  is  a 
handsome  young  man,  with  a  most  placid  coun- 
tenance, lying  upon  his  back,  his  Bible  upon  his 
bosom,  and  his  hands  folded  over  it,  as  if  he  had 


98  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

gone  to  sleep  saying  his  evening  prayer.  ]  Many 
others  present  the  melancholy  contrast  of  scattered 
cards,  obscene  pictures,  and  filthy  ballad-books — 
"miserable  comforters'.'  for  a  dying  hour,  but  an 
instructive  commentary  upon  the  Yankee  cause.  One 
lies  upon  his'  face,  literally  biting  the  ground,  his 
rigid  fingers  fastened  firmly  into  the  gory  sod  ;  and 
another,  with  upturned  face,  open  eyes,  knit  brow, 
compressed  lips,  and  clenched  fists,  displays  all  the 
desperation  of  Yankee' vengeance  imprinted  upon 
his  clay.  Dissevered  heads,  arms,  legs,  are  scattered 
everywhere ;  and  the  coagulated  pools  of  blood 
gleam  ghastly  in  the  morning  sun.  It  is  a  fearful 
sight  for  Christian  eyes ! 

Now  and  then,  as  I  ride  over  the  field,  the  calm 
atmosphere  quivers  to  the  crash  of  a  solitary  cannon  ; 
and  here  and  there,  after  a  long  interval  of  silence, 
may  be  heard  a  volley  of  musketry.  But  there  has 
been  no  battle  to-day,  only  slight  skirmishing  occa- 
sionally, at  a  few  points  along  the  line,  with  a  com- 
plimentary shot  ever  and  anon  from  some  well-posted 
sharpshooter. 

It  is  three  o'clock.  There  is  now  another  vigorous 
assault  on  the  enemy's  impregnable  hill  of  cedars. 
For  fifteen*  or  twenty  minutes,  it  seems  as  if  all  the 
artillery  of  both  armies  were  in  action.  But  it 
ceases,  and  all  goes  silent  for  the  day.  The  gallant 
charge  has  been  again  repulsed. 

In  the  dusky  twilight  I  am  returning  to  town. 
There  is  a  clatter  of  hoofs  behind  me.  It  is  Generals 
Bragg  and  Polk,  with  their  respective  staffs  and 
escorts/  The  former  hails  me  courteously,  wishing 


MUItFREESBOHO.  99 

me  a  happy  new  year,  and  adds:  "We  think  we  can 
now  say,  with  some  degree  of  confidence,  that  the 
enemy  is  in  full  retreat."  "  Yes,  "  responds  the 
latter,  "he  has  taken  Murfreesboro,  and  is  returning 
to  Nashville."  "Not  much  of  Murfreesboro,  Gen- 
eral," I  answer*  "  Rather  more  than  he  wanted,"  is 
the  laconic  rejoinder. 

Ever  since  the  commencement  of  the  battle, 
"Wheeler  and  Wharton,  with  their  intrepid  cavaliers, 
have  been  in  Iiosecrans's  rear,  picking  up  his  strag- 
glers, cutting  off  his  supplies,  setting  fire  to  his  wagon 
trains,  destroying  large  quantities  of  ammunition, 
and  sending  spoils  and  prisoners  to  Murfreesboro, 
with  encouraging  messages  to  General  Bragg. 

Friday,  the  second,  I  find  all  the  churches  in  town, 
the  three  college  buildings,  and  several  other  large 
edifices,  full  of  wounded  and  dying  men,  and  many 
ladies  tender!}'  ministering  to  their  relief.  Besides 
these,  however,  numbers  have  been  taken  into  pri- 
vate residences,  and  multitudes  are  being  conveyed 
away  on  the  railroad.  At  the  house  of  a  citizen  I 
meet  with  two  members  of  my  old  regiment,  very 
seriously  injured — one  of  them,  I  fear,  mortally. 
Poor  boys !  how  glad  they  seem  to  see  me  !  and  how 
my  heart  bleeds  for  the  suffering  I  cannot  assuage  ( 

At  the  court-house,  shrouded  for  the  sepulcher, 
lie  the  remains  of  Major  General  Sill,  killed  in 
Wednesday's  engagement.  The  Yankee  officers 
there  in  custody  tell  me  they  have  lost  several 
Brigadier  Generals.  Among  the  prisoners  are  three 
Chaplains;  one  of  them  an  old  acquaintance,  the 
He  v.  W.  C.   At  more,  of  the  Kentucky  Conference. 


100  CAMP  AND   FIELD. 

He  appears  pleased  to  see  mc,  but  seems  very  much 
ashamed  of  his  position,  and  makes  an  exceedingly 
awkward  apology  for  being  in  the  Federal  army. 

At  the  Rev.  Mrl  Critchlow's  I  have  the  honor  of 
supping  with  a  eaptive  Colonel ;  a  large,  handsome, 
intelligent  young  man.  He  objects* strongly  to  my 
calling  him  a  Yankee  ;  he  is  "  no  part  of  a  Yank 
Nor  must  I  speak  of  him  as  an  Abolitionist ;  i;  there 
is  not  an  Abolition  hair  in  his  head."  He  scorns 
the  character  of  the  one,  and  hates  the  principles  of 
the  other.  I  try  to  show  him  that,  though  theoreti- 
cally he  is  neither,  practically  he  is  both.  "  O,  no, 
indeed;"  he  does  "not  approve  of  the  Lincoln 
policy;"  and  the  emancipation  proclamation  is  "an 
outrage  upon  humanity."  I  reply,  that  he  is  the 
most  inconsistent  of  men,  to  fight  for  that  which  he 
cannot  justify,  and  will  not  undertake  to  excuse. 
"But  I  am  in  the  army,"  says  he,  "  what  can  I  do?" 
"Be  honest,"  I  answer,  "and  resign  your  commis- 
sion." The  painful  fact  comes  out  at  last,  that  this 
man  is  a  native  Kentuckian. 

To-day  there  is  no  fighting  till  half-past  three 
orclock,  when  the  last  effort  is  made  to  dislodge 
Rosecrans  from  his  natural  limestone  fortress.  The 
work  is  undertaken  by  Brecken  ridge's  division,  con- 
sisting of  three  brigades,  assisted  by  Pegram's  and 
Wharton's  cavalry,  and  supported  by  a  number  of 
batteries.  I  have  *a  secure  position,  from  which  I 
enjoy  an  unobstructed  view  of  the  two  armies  and 
their  fierce  collision,  though  overhead  and  all  around 
bomb-shell  and  minie  ball  make  fearful  music.  At 
the   word   of   command,   Kentuckians  and   Texans 


MURFREESBORO.  101 

spring  forward  like  a  herd  of  hungry  tigers  upon 
their  prey. 

"  At  once  there  rose  so  wild  a  yell, 
As  all  the  fiends  from  Heaven  that  fell 
TTad  pealed  the  banner-cry  of  hell." 

The  roar  of  the  musketry  is  like  the  din  of  a  cata- 
ract ;  and  the  cannonading,  crash  after  crash,  too 
rapid  to  be  counted,  could  scarcely  be  outdone  by 
half  a  score  of  contending  thunder-storms.  To  one 
who  has  never  witnessed  such  a  scene,  it  were 
impossible  to  give  any  adequate  idea  of  its  terrific 
sublimity. 

In  thirty  'minutes  the  enemy  is  driven  back  full 
half  a  mile,  and  both  armies  arc  lost  in  a  dense  cloud 
of  smoke,  Still  the  earth  trembles  and  the  forest 
echoes  with  the  fearful  music.  It  continues,  with 
unabated  grandeur  for  nearly  an  hour.  Then  our 
troops  begin  to  emerge  from  "  their  sulphurous 
canop}'."  The  concentrated  legions  of  Rosecrans, 
supported  by  a  hundred  pieces  of  artillery,  are  too 
many  for  a  mere  handful  of  men,  though  every  one 
of  them  were  fired  with  Spartan  valor.  The  brave 
fellows  are  coming  over  the  hill  very  slowly,  in  per- 
fect order,  loading  and  firing  as  fast  as  possible  ;  but 
it  is  sad  to  see  them  retreating,  and  to  know  that  so= 
many  of  them  have  fallen  in  the  fruitless  struggle. 

"  Where,  where  was  Roderick  then  ? 
One  blast  upon  his  bugle  horn 
Wire  worth  a  thousand  men  !" 

Alas!  he  is  mortally  wounded — the  heroic  Hanson^ 
and  they  have  born  him  away  to  the  rear. 
I* 


102  CAMP  AND   FIELD. 

As  the  sun  goes  down  and  the  shades  of  evening 
deepen  over  the  field,  the  flash  of  every  gun  becomes 
fearfully  distinct;  and  the  shells,  bursting  above  the 
combatants,  fall  in  brilliant  showers  among  them. 
The  contest  lasts  an  hour  and  a  half,  when  night  in- 
terposes with  its  arbitrary  interdiction,  and  our  ex- 
hausted troops  retire.  It  has  been,  perhaps,  the 
fiercest  onset  of  the  whole  battle,  and  will  furnish 
the  bloodiest  page  of  the  four  days'  history.  A 
Yankee  correspondent  of  the  Cincinnati  Gazette, 
writing  from  the  field,  says:  "If  utter  madness  can 
be  called  bravery,  then  were  these  rebels  brave  1" 

Eeturning  to  town  by  moonlight,  I  find  the  road 
thronged,  well  nigh  blockaded,  by  the  wounded — 
on  foot,  on  horseback,  on  litters,  in  wagons,  in 
ambulances.  An  Irishman,  with  a  shattered  limb, 
seems  to  think  no  one  has  been  injured  but  himself. 
"Go  back,  ye  spalpeens  £"  he  cries,  "go  back  anT 
light  the  buggars!  What  are  ye  laving  for?  Go 
back  an'  kill  the  last  divil  of  'em  !  I'll  go  mesel'  if 
ye'll  give  me  a  jigger  o'  wheskey  I" 

Saturday,  the  third,  it  rains  incessantly.  "The 
dogs  of  war"  have  ceased  to  bay.  No  sound  comes 
from  the  scene  of  the  recent  carnage.  I  remain  in 
town,  among  the  wounded,  the  dying,  and  the  dead. 
At  nightfall  there  arc  unmistakable  indications  of 
retreat.  Long  trains  of  wagons  are  moving  in  the 
wrong  direction.  I  repair  to  the  square,  but  can  find 
no  one  able  to  give  me  an}7  satisfactory  information. 
My  only  expedient  is  to  watch  "  the  signs  of  the 
times."  At  nine  o'clock  1  see  artillery  passing.  At 
eleven    Hardee's 'corps  is  moving  toward  the  Man- 


MURFREESBORO.  103 

chcstcr  turnpike.  An  officer  now  informs  me  that 
Polk's  command  have  commenced  their  march  for 
Shelby ville.  ■  Enough.  I  return 'to  my  lodgings, 
throw  myself  upon  a  couch,  and  make  an  agonizing 
effort  to  sleep.  It  is  unsuccessful.  The  house  is  all 
astir.  Surgeons  are  coming  and  going.  Wounded 
men  are  preparing  for  departure.  A  son  and  brother,, 
with  a  shattered  hand,  must  quit  all  and  flee  There 
is  sighing,  and  groaning,  and  weeping,  and  wailing 
throughout  the  house.  Were  there  no  religion  in  it, 
there  would  be  cursing  too.  Thank  God !  there  is 
some  religion,  and  the  prayer  gets  the  start  of  the 
execration. 

Half-past  one.  The  omnibus  calls  for  the  disabled. 
Kind  hands  have  filled  my  haversack  with  bread  and 
bacon.  My  barb  neighs  at  the  gate.  Farewell, 
sweet  friends !  Heaven  defend  you  against  a  ruthless 
foe!  I  mount,  and  away,  through  "the  pelting  of 
the  pitiless  storm."  By  seven  the  next  morning, 
Fanny  has  waded  through  twenty  miles  of  mortar; 
and  my  good  brother  Marks  welcomes  her  rider  to  a 
bright  fire,  a  warm  breakfast,  and  a  comfortable  bed. 

This  retreat  has  been  severely  censured.  Let  it 
be  borne  in  mind,  that  we  were  outnumbered,  two 
to  one,  by  the  enemy  ;  that  a  reconnoisance  in  his 
rear  proved  him,  as  was  suspected,  to  have  received 
large  reinforcements  from  Kentucky  ;  that  four  days' 
fighting,  and  six  days'  exposure  to  wet  and  cold,  had 
quite  exhausted  the  energies  of  our  troops;  and  that 
the  Yankee  raid  into  East  Tennessee,  cutting  off  our 
railroad  communication  with  Kichmond,  created 
some    rational    apprehension    of    trouble  from    that 


104  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

quarter ;  reasons  sufficient,  perhaps,  to  justify  General 
Bragg's  movement  as  a  wise  and  prudent  measure. 

"To  judge  by-  the  event,"  says  Colton,  "is  an 
error  ail  abuse,  and  all  commit.  For,  in  every  in- 
stance, courage,  if  crowned  with  success,  is  heroism ; 
if  clouded  by  defeat,  temerity.  When  Nelson  fought 
his  battle  in  the  Sound,  it  was  the  result  alone  that 
decided  whether  he  was  to  kiss  a  hand  at  a  Court,  or 
a  rod  at  a  Court  Martial." 

The  battle  of  Murfreesboro  must  certainly  be  con- 
sidered one  of  the  greatest  of  the  war,  if  we  regard 
the  disparity  of  numbers,  the  sharpness  of  the  con- 
test, the  time  of  its  continuance,  and  the  amount  of 
its  material  results.  With  an  army  of  less  than 
forty  thousand,  not  all  of  whom  were  in  the  field, 
we  hurled  back  a  Federal  force  seventy  thousand 
strong,  with  a  reserve  estimated  at  from  thirty  to 
forty  thousand;  killed,  at  least,  five  thousand: 
wounded  fifteen  thousand  ;  captured  four  thousand 
stand  of  small  arms,  and  thirty-three  -pieces  of  ar- 
tillery ;  destroyed  an  immense  quantity  of  commis- 
sary stores,  medicines,  and  baggage;  brought  safely 
away  with  us  all  our  spoils  and  prisoners,  except 
those  taken  by  our  cavalry  in  the  enemy's  rear;  and 
all  this  with  a  loss  of  scarcely  eight  thousand  men — 
killed,  wounded  and  missing. 

If  this  is  what  you  call  a  defeat,  the  God  of  battles 
soon  grant  us  another  1 


IX. 
OUR  WESTERN  CAVALIERS. 


(JANUARY,      1863.) 


"  But  our  chief  strength  was  our  cavalry,  those  mounted  gladia- 
tors, whose  prowess  reached  in  all  directions,  whose  artful  recou- 
noisances  taught  us  daily  concerning  the  movements  of  the  enemy." 

Sallust. 

As  the  wars  of  ancient  Rome,  renowned  as  they 
are  in  story  and  in  song,  will  bear  no  just  compar- 
ison, for  magnitude  and  grandeur,  with  the  current 
revolution;  so  the  achievements  of  the  Roman  Cav- 
alry, however  daring  in  character  and  valuable  in 
result,  were  manifestly  far  inferior  to  the  services  of 
our  mounted  men  in  the  present  campaign.  "  They 
have  stormed  and  taken  batteries.  They  have  in- 
vested and  carried  fortified  camps  and  towns.  They 
have  charged  solid  columns  of  infantry,  and  scattered 
them  like  spray."  They  have  successfully  assailed 
the  bristling  stockade,  captured  the  well-freighted 
steamer,  and  sent  the  iron  clad  gunboat  to  the 
bottom.  They  have  burned  down  bridges,  torn  up 
railroads,  demolished  trestle  and  tunnel,  piled  engine 
and  ear  in  promiscuous  ruin,  talked  freely  with  the 
enemy  hundreds  of  miles  away,  made  him  reveal  his 
most  important  secrets  through  his  own  telegraphic 
apparatus,  and  done  many  other  things  that  the 
"  mounted  gladiators  "  of  Rome  never  dreamed  of. 


106  CAMP    AND    FIELD. 

I  propose  to  devote  this  Paper  to  the  brilliant 
exploits  of  our  western  cavaliers.  Their  prisoners  are 
numbered  by  thousands.  Their  trophies  amount  to 
millions  of  dollars.  Their  achievements. will  furnish 
an  interesting  chapter  in  the  history  of  this  great 
revolution. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  Forrest's  magnificent  dash 
upon  Murfreesboro  last  summer,  when,  "with  a  com- 
pact column,  he  penetrated  the  enemy's  country  over 
a  hundred  miles  in  advance  of  our  position,  assailed 
and  carried  a  fortified  and  garrisoned  cit}r,  captured 
nineteen  hundred  prisoners,  and  brought  away  two 
million  dollars'  worth  of  spoils  !  "  But  this  splendid 
feat  was  completely  eclipsed  by  his  recent  exploits  in 
the  Western  District,  where  he  took  eight  towns, 
killed  a  thousand  Yankees,  paroled  "fifteen  hundred 
prisoners,  destroyed  an  immense  amount  of  army 
supplies,  and  tore  up  every  railroad  north  of  Jackson, 
with  a  loss  of  only  twenty-eight  men,  and  only  eight 
of  them  killed. 

So  far,  this  was  one  of  the  most  successful  expe- 
ditions of  the  war.  The  sequel,  however,  was  some- 
what serious,  and  had  like  to  have  been  disastrous. 

After  these  achievements,  he  set  forth  to  return  to 
Middle  Tennessee.  -At  Parker's  Cross  Koads  he  met 
seven  full  Federal  regiments,  who  raised  the  white 
flaff  in  token  of  surrender.     The  Huntsville  Advo- 

•o 

cate  thus  describes  what  follows : 

"  He  approached  to  receive'  their  arms,  when  another  heavy  col- 
umn of  ten  regiments  came  on  his  flank  and  rear  and  began  to  fire 
on  his  men,  and  the  portion  who  had  raised  the  white  flag  treach- 
erously joined  in  the  firing.  The  gallant  Forrest  and  his  brave  men 
returned  the  fire  vigorously.     They  had  .only  ten  rounds  of  amniu- 


OUR  WESTERN   CAVALIERS.  107 

nition,  fired  six- rounds,  aud  then  fought  their  way  out,  with  a  loss 
of  five  hundred,  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  The  killed  are  esti- 
mated at  about  fifty,  the  wounded  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two 
hundred — the  rest  are  prisoners.  The  wounded  also  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy. 

"  It  is  said  that  in  fighting  their  way  out  our  brave  troops  massed 
themselves  in  solid  column  and  charged  the  enemy's  column  that 
had  come  upon  their  rear.  The  cool  and  intrepid  Forrest  remained 
iu  their  rear  to  collect  his  scattered  men  and  bring  them  out,  and 
the  enemy  closed  up  their  column  after  the  most  of  Forrest's  men 
had  passed  through,  and  came  vety  near  catching  him.  He  escaped 
by  riding  at  full  speed  along  a  ravine  and  leaping  his  horse  over  a 
ten  rail  fence.  One  who  witnessed  his  escape  said  that  the  last  he 
saw  of  Forrest  he  was  Hying  over  the  fence,  lying  flat  on  his  horse, 
and  hundreds  of  bullets  flying  after  him.  One  bullet  passed  through 
his  hat.  Strange  to  say,  not  one.  man  was  lost  in  fighting  their  way 
out." 

This  desperate  struggle  occurred  on  the  thirty -first 
of  December,  while  Bragg  was  chastising  Rosecrans 
before  Murfreesboro,  and  Wheeler  and  Wharton  were 
achieving  such  gallant  deeds  in  his  rear.  The  enemy, 
eight  thousand  strong,  followed  our  hero  to  the 
Tennessee;  and  he  fought  them,  with  his  artillery 
across  the  river,  and  forced  them  to  retire.  He 
entered  the  Western  District  with  thirty-five  hundred 
men,  and  returned  with  three  thousand,  having  lost 
five  hundred. 

Morgan's  late  Kentucky  expedition  was  worthy  of 
his  fame.  The  Winchester  Bulletin  gives  a  clear  and 
connected  account  of  his  operations: 

"General  Morgan  left  Murfreesboro' on  the  21st  of  December, 
with  four  hundred  men — passed  through  Alexandria — crossed  the 
Cumberland  at  Hardee's  Ford,  and  proceeded  to  Glasgow,  where  a 
small  advance  sent  forward  encountered  the  advance  of  the  2d 
Michigan  cavalry — when  a  short  but  spirited  engagement  ensued,  in 
which    Captain  Jones  was    mortally    wounded — Lieut.  Patton    and 


108  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

Sergeant  Webb,  severely.  Captain  Newton,  while  in  the  manly 
discharge  of  his  duties,  was  taken  prisoner  and  held  three  hours; 
and,  after  a  desperate  struggle  with  his  captors,  made  his  escape. 
Reinforcements  arrived,  and  the  Yankee  cavalry,  panic  stricken,  fled. 

"  The  command  then  took  a  line  of  march  to  Nolin,  burnt  the 
bridge  at  Bacon  Creek,  tore  up  several  miles  of  railroad,  destroyed 
the  telegraph  poles  and  wires,  captured  several  wagons  heavily 
loaded  with  government  stores,  all  of  which  were  destroyed.  AVe 
then  moved  on  to  Elizabethtown,  which  place  was  defended  by  eight 
hundred  men,  who,  upon  being  asked  to  surrender,  replied  that  the 
United  States  troops  knew  no  surrender.  General  Morgan  then 
gave  the  women  aud  children  timely  notice  to  leave — ordered  Smith's, 
Palmers,  Corbett's  and  White's  batteries  to  be  placed  on  an  emi- 
nence commanding  a  line  view  of  the  town  ;  and,  after  a  few  well 
directed  shots,  the  white  flag  made  its  appearance,  and  an  uncondi- 
tional surrender  was  agreed  upon.  At  this  place  eight  hundred 
prisoners  were  taken  and  paroled;  also  a  large  amount  of  stores, 
guns,  and  ammunition,  destroyed." 

Part  of  the  prisoners  were  the  Seventy-first  Indiana 
Regiment.  They  had  been  captured  by  Kirby 
Smith  at  the  battle  of  Richmond,  on  the  thirtieth  of 
August  last ;  had  been  but  recently  exchanged,  and 
started  from  Indianapolis  only  on  Christmas  Eve. 
Taken  the  second  time,  and  almost  without  a  strug- 
gle, both  officers  and  privates  seemed  exceedingly 
mortified.  They  dreaded  the  stigma  of  cowardice, 
and  desired  their  captors  to  furnish  them  some  certi- 
ficate that  should  place  them  right  On  the  records  at 
home.     The  account  proceeds: 

"The  command  then  marched  up  to  Muldrough's  Hill,  where  two 
of  the  most  important  trestles  on  the  road  were  destroyed — one 
being  seven  hundred  feet  in  length  and  a  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  high,  and  the  other  five  hundred  feet  in  length  and  ninety  feet 
high.  These  bridges  were  strongly  stockaded,  and  a  stout  resist- 
ance was  offered  by  the  enemy ;  but  shot  and  shell,  well  directed, 
fell  iu  their  midst  with  such  telling  effect  that  they  were  soon  com- 


OUR  WESTERN   CAVALIERS.  10Q 

pelled  to  stack  their  arms.  At  these  two  points  four  hundred  were 
taken  prisoners,  and  a  fine  lot  of  Enfield  rifles,  ammunition,  stores, 
&c,  were  captured.  Where  we  captured  arms  superior  to  ours,  we 
hand  over  our  guns  and  take  those  captured. 

"The  burning  of  these  magnificent  structures,  whose  strength 
seemed  to  defy  the  flames,  was  a  scene  of  grandeur  unsurpassed. 
As  the  burning  element  mounted  up  the  high  frame-work,  lighting 
up  a  beautiful  star-light  sky,  for  miles  the  line  of  road  seemed  in 
one  lurid  blaze  ;  while  a  thousand  hammers  and  sledges  could  be 
heard,  with  the  tearing  up  of  railroad  irou,  the  burning  of  cross-ties, 
the  cutting  of  telegraph  poles,  the  blowing  up  of  abutments,  &c. 
The  trestles  were  a  long  time  burning,  as  if  determined  to  retain 
forever  their  beauty  and  strength ;  but  they  yielded  at  last  to  the 
devouring  flames,  and  fell  frqm  their  dizzy  heights  in  smoking  ruins. 

"  Ellsworth,  the  skillful  telegraph  operator,  had  been  amusing 
himself  by  conversing  with  operators  at  different  points  on  the  road. 
General  Morgan,  taking  advantage  of  the  opportunity  so  favorably 
presented,  wished  to  be  remembered  to  Geo.  D.  Prentice,  Esq.,  and 
informed  him  he  had  commenced  the  arduous  duties  assigned  *him, 
and  was  already  superintending  that  road,  and  hoped  his  diligence 
and  experience  would  warrant  a  continuance  of  employment  in  that 
capacity,  but  suggested  that  his  visit  over  the  road  and  his  careful 
inspection  would  preclude  the  necessity  of  another  trip  in  six 
month?. 

"  Our  line  of  march  was  continued  up  the  Rolling  Fork,  and  in 
the  direction  of  Bardstown.  While  effecting  a  crossing  at  Rolling 
Fork,  our  rear  was  attacked  by  a  large  force  of  the  enemy,  supported 
by  cannon.  A  spirited  engagement  ensued,  in  which  Colonel  Duke, 
whose  name  is  already  known  in  the  present  war,  was  badly 
wounded  by  the  bursting  of  the  enemy's  shell.  He  was,  however, 
taken  from  the  field  and  carefully  conveyed  in  an  ambulance  to  his 
friends.  His  wound,  it. is  feared,  will  preclude  the  possibility  of  hia 
taking  the  field  for  several  weeks. 

"We  arrived  at  Bardstown,  and,  after  spending  one  night,  marched 
down  the  Bardstown  and  Springfield  Pike.  Arriving  at  Springfield 
we  ascertained  that  at  Lebanon,  nine  miles  distant,  the  enemy  had 
concentrated  a  force,  amounting  to  fifteen  thousand,  together  with  a 
large  body  of  cavalry,  who  were  posted  at  every  point  and  disputed 
our  path  in  every  direction.  They  made  their  boasts  that  General 
Morgan  had  made  his  last  trip  into  Kentucky,  and  indeed  it  appeared, 

J 


110  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

in  my  humble  judgment,  to  be  the  case,  for  it  was  the  duskest 
hour  we  had  seen  ;  but  through  the  skill  and  coolness  of  our  brave 
leader,  who  planned  and  executed  a  flaok  movement,  we  left  Leba- 
non thirty  miles  in  the  rear,  marched  seven  miles  in  sight  of  the 
enemy's  camp  fires,  and  arrived  at  Campbellsville  before  they  were 
apprised  of  our. leaving  Springfield.  This  was  a  masterly  movement 
of  General  Morgan's,  and  reflects  great  credit  on  him  as  a  leader  of 
brave  men.  From  Campbellsville  to  Burksville  an  interrupted  line 
of  march  was  effected,  and  the  command  reached  Smithville  after  a 
march  of  fifteen  days. 

"Our  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  will  not  exceed  twenty,  while 
that  of  the  enemy  cannot  be  less  than  three  hundred  killed  and 
wounded,  besides  about  a  thousand  prisoners. 

"  Great  credit  is  due  the  officers  and  men,  who,  on  every  occa- 
sion, behaved  gallantly,  executing  their  commands,  promptly,  giving 
the  world  another  evidence  that  General  Morgan  is  a  daring  and 
skillful  leader,  and  his  men  invincible. 

"  As  our  command  was  moving  from  Lebanon,  General  Hallesy, 
With  two  members  of  his  staff,  charged  upon  three  men  in  the  rear, 
when  a  fight  occurred  in  the  middle  of  the  creek,  in  which  Hallesy 
was  killed,  and  the  officers  with  him  captured.  Hallesy  was  shot 
through  the  head  while  he  and  his  antagonist  were  clenched.  This 
Federal  General  was  the  most  odious  man  in  Kentucky,  and  had 
persecuted  our  friends  beyond  endurance. 

"While  at  Elizabethtown  a  detachment  was  sent  to  Shepherds- 
ville,  eighteen  miles  from  Louisville,  where  they  burned  the  town. 
At  Bar^stown  we  captured  three  hundred  prisoners." 

During  this  pleasant  trip  through  his  native  State, 
Morgan  killed  and  wounded  seven  hundred  of  the 
enemy,  captured  and  paroled  two  thousand,  and  de- 
stroyed an  immense  amount  of  arms,  ammunition, 
commissary  stores,  and  other  Federal  property. 

While  Morgan  was  turning  Kentucky  upside  down, 
Yan  Dorn  was  executing  his  marvelous  coup  de  guerre 
at  Holly  Springs,  in  Northern  Mississippi.  A  letter 
writer  has  furnished  the  following  interesting  nar^ 
rative : 


OUR  WESTERN   CAVALIERS.  111/ 

"General  Van  Dorn  started  from  tins  point  thirteen  days  since, 
having  first  supplied  his  cavalry  command  of  2,700  men  with  fifteen 
days'  rations  to  support  and  satisfy  the  inner  man,  and  a  bottle  of 
turpentine  and  box  of  mutches  each,  to  enable-them  more  perfectly  to 
carry*  out  their  work  of  destruction  upon  Abolition  property.  Striking 
out  northeast,  the  command*  passed  through  Pontotoc,  and,  having 
no  time  to  devote  to  the  Yankee  marauders  who  were  at  the  time 
south  of  them,  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  having  much  more 
important  work  on  hand,  Van  Dorn's  forces  marched  on  through 
New  Albany  and  started  on  the  Ripley  road,  in  order  to  perfectly 
deceive  the  enemy. 

"  Two  hours  after  the  force  passed  through  Pontotoc,  1,100  Yankee* 
cavalry,  which  had  been  on  a  raid  down  the  Mobile  and  Ohio 
Eoad,  returned  with  a  train  heavily  laden  with  the  plunder  they 
had  stolen.  They  were  informed  that  Van  Dorn  had  only  passed  an 
hour  before  with  15,000  troops.  Taking  a  few  minutes  time  to 
destrojr  their  train,  they  took  the  shortest  route  for  Corinth,  and  left 
on  fear-impelling  wings.  Mean  time,  Van  Dorn  left  the  Ripley  road 
to  the  left,  and  took  a  by-way  and  meandering  route  through  the 
swamp,  and  came  within  eight  miles  of  Holly  Springs  in  the  eve- 
ning, where  he  bivouacked  his  force  until  two  hours  before  day, 
when  he  moved  cautiously  into  town,  leaving  the  Texas  brigade  upon 
the  heights  outside  as  a  reserve.  As  our  forces  dashed  in  from  all 
sides,  the  entrance  proved  a  complete  surprise,  the  breaking  streaks 
of  daylight  showing  the  Yankee  teats  with  their  yet  undisturbed 
slumberers.  A  charge  was  ordered  upon  them,  and  the  torch 
applied  to  the  canvas  which  covered  them. 

"The  rapidity  with  which  the  tents  of, the  enemy  were  vacated 
was  marvellous ;  and  impelled  by  burning  torches  and  rapid  dis- 
charges of  side-arms,  the  Yankees  took  no  time  to  prepare  their 
toilets,  but  rushed  out  into  the  cool  air  of  a  December  morning 
clothed  very  similar  to  Joseph  when  the  lady  Potiphar  attempted  to 
detain  him.  The  scene  was  wild,  exciting,  tumultuous.  Yankees 
running,  tents  burning,  torches  flaming,  Confederates  shouting,  guns 
popping,  sabres  clanking,  Abolitionists  begging  for  mercy,  'rebels' 
shouting  exultingly,  women  en  dishabille  clapping  their  hands,  frantic 
with  joy,  crying,  'kill  them,  kill  them' — a  heterogeneous  mass  of 
excited,  frantic,  frightened  human  beings,  presenting  an  indescri- 
bable picture,  more  adapted  for  the  pencil  of  Hogarth  than  the  pen  of 
a  newspaper  correspondent. 


112  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

"The  surprised  camp  surrendered  1800  men  and  150  commis- 
sioned officers,  who  were  immediately  paroled.  And  then  com- 
menced the  work  of  destruction.  The  extensive  building  of  the 
Mississippi  Ceutral  depot,  the  station  house,  the  engine  houses,  and 
immense  storehouses  were  filled  with  supplies  of  clothing  and  com- 
missary stores.  Outside  of  the  depot  the  barrels  of  flour,  estimated 
at  half  a  mile  in  length,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  through  and 
fifteen  feet  high.  Turpentine  was  throwu  over  this,  and  the  whole 
amount  destroyed.  Up  town  the  court  house  and  public  buildings, 
livery  stables,  and  all  capacious  establishments,  were  filled,  ceiling  " 
high,  with  medical  and  ordnance  stores.  These  were  all  fired,  and 
the  explosion  of  one  of  the  buildings,  in  which  were  stored  one  hun- 
dred barrels  of  powder,  knocked  down  nearly  all  the  houses  ou  the 
south  side  of  the  square.  Surely  such  a  scene  of  devastation  was 
never  before  presented  to  the  eyes  of  man.  Glance  at  the  gigantic 
estimates: 

"1,800,000  fixed  cartridges  and  other  ordnance  stores,  valued  at 
$500,000,  including  five  thousand  rifles  and  two  thousand  revolvers. 

"  One  hundred  thousand  suits  of  clothing,  and  other  quartermaster's 
stores,  valued  at  $500,000. 

"Five  thousand  barrels  of  flour  and  a  quantity  of  other  commis- 
sary stores,  valued  at  $500,000. 

"  One  million  dollars  worth  of  medical  stores,  for  which  invoices 
to  that  amount  were  exhibited. 

"  One  thousand  bales  of  cotton,  and  six  hundred  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  commissary  stores. 

"  As  there  was  no  time  to  remove  these  immense  stores  from  the 
building  containing  them,  they  were  destroyed,  comprising  the  Mis- 
sissippi Central  depot,  engine  houses  and  storehouses,  the  most 
elegant  and  capacious  in  the  South,  the  court  house,  livery  stable, 
and  the  largest  buildings  on  the  public  square. 

"While  the  capture  of  the  camp,  parolling  of  the  prisoners,  and 
destroying  of  the  stores,  were  going  on,  the  Texas  Rangers,  com- 
prising the  3d,  5th  and  9th  legions,  became  engaged  with  the  Michi- 
gan Cavalry,  and  drove  them  pell-mell  through  the  town,  and  ran 
them  off  north,  with  a  considerable  loss  to  the  Abolitionists,  and 
thirty  killed  and  wounded  on  our  side. 

"The  ladies  rushed  out  from  the  houses,  wild  with  joy,  crying  out, 
'There's  some  at  the  Fair  Grounds.  Chase  them,  kill  them,  for 
God's  sake!'     One  lady  said:    'The  Yankee  Commandant  of  the 


OUR  WESTERN  CAVALIERS.  113 

Post  "is  in  my  house;  come  and  catch  him.'  And  a  search  was  insti- 
tuted, but  without  success;  when  the  noble  woman  insisted  that  he 
was  there,  concealed:  and  finally,  after  much  ado,  the  gallant  Col. 
Murphy,  the  intrepid  Yankee  Commandant  of  Holly  Springs,  was 
pulled  out  from  under  his  led,  and  presented  himself  in  his  nocturnal 
habiliments  to  his  captors. 

"  The  Provost  Marshal  was  also  taken,  and  addressing  General 
Van  Dorn,  said:  'Well,  General,  you've  got  us  fairly  this  time.  I 
knowed  it.  I  was  in  bed  with  my  wife  when  I  heard  the  firing, 
and  I  at  once  said,  Well,  wife,  it's  no  use  closing  our  eyes,  or 
hiding  under  the  cover;  we've  gone  up. ' 

"Our  attention  was  given  to  Grant's  headquarters,  which  he 
had  left  twenty  four  hours  before.  All  his  papers,  charts,  maps, 
etc.,  were  captured,  together  with  his  splendid  carriage,  which 
was  burned.  Among  his  papers  was  found  a  pass,  to  pass  the 
bearer  over  all  railroads  and  steamboats  in  the  United  States  at 
Government  expense,  and  to  pass  all  pickets  and  guards  ;  and  other 
papers,  at  once  interesting  and  valuable.  Mrs.  Grant  was  also 
capturtd,  but  no  indignity  was  offered  to  her. 

"  Nearly  every  store  on  the  public  square  was  filled  with  sutler's 
stores,  and  after  our  men  had  helped  themselves,  the  balance  of 
the  goods,  was  burned. 

"  When  our  forces  reached  the  depot,  there  was  a  train  about 
leaving  The  engineer  jumped  off  and  ran  away,  and  one  of  our 
men  took  his  place,  shut  the  throttler-valve,  and  stopped  the 
train.  Sixty  cars  and  two  locomotives  were  then  fired  and  de* 
stroyed." 

The  footing  up  is  glorious: — more  than  twenty- 
three  hundred  prisoners  paroled,  over  three  million 
dollars'  worth  of  Federal  stores  destroyed,  and  five 
hundred  horses  and  mules  taken,  with  a  vast 
amount  of  other  property. 

And  now  let  us  trace  the  victorious  path  of 
Wheeler,  in  his  several  successive  detours  during  the 
late  battle  of  Murfreesboro  ;  which  spread  conster- 
nation throughout  the  Yankee  hosts,  and  electrified 
the  whole  South  with  patriotic  delight.     Educated 


114  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

at  West  Point,  constitutionally  energetic  and  enthu- 
siastic, exceedingly  fond  of  military  adventure,  ar- 
dently devoted  to  the  cause  of  Southern  indepen- 
dence, blending  a  lofty  ambition  with  a  magnanimous 
patriotism,  and  as  void  of  fear  as  he  is  of  selfishness, 
he  seems  made  for  the  emergencies  of  a  revolution 
like  ours ;  and  though  the  youngest  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral in  the  Confederate  service,  he  is  already  rivaling 
Forrest  and  Morgan  in  the  rapidity  and  splendor  of 
his  deeds.  The  following  vivid  picture  would  do  no 
dishonor  to  the  author  of  Salathiel : 

**  All  day  on  Monday,  the  29th  December,  General  Wheeler's 
cavalry  were  slowly  dropping  back  before  the  insoleut  advance  of 
overwhelming  numbers.  All  that  day  the  men  of  Bragg's  army 
in  serried  ranks  awaited  the  long  expected  but  now  imminent 
hour..  At  nightfall  the  long  ranks  of  horsemen  filed  slowly  to 
their  position  on  tbe  army's  flanks,  and  after  a  time  the  glare  of 
the  hostile  camps  extended  wide  and  far  in  our  fiont  At  mid- 
night, after  a  few  hour's  rest,  the  word  4  Forward  !'  was  given, 
the  little  Brigadier  was  in  the  6addle,  and  around  him  were 
gathered  his  regimental  and  battalion  commanders,  his  well- 
chosen,  well-tried  staff.  It  was  dark,  but  in  the  flashing  eyes  of 
those  few  determined  men  shone  the  true  and  teuder  light  of 
patriot  devotion.  A  cold,  drizzly  rain  fell,  but  nothing  could 
damp  the  ardor  that  beat  in  those  valiant  and  trusty  hearts 

44  Then  it  was  resolved  to  boldly  attack  the  rear  of  that  mighty 
Yankee  horde,  that  seemed  only  to  await  the  dawn  for  a  rude 
onset  against  our  rights,  our  homes,  and  our  kindred.  'To- 
morrow,' said  the  little  hero,  'as  his  lines  move  so  vaingloriously 
forward,  his  heart  shall  quake  with  fear  to  hear  that  hi3  trains  are 
burning,  his  supplies  cut  off,  and  thousands  of  Southern  cavalry 
hovering  in  his  rear  like  birds  of  prey.'  On,  on — what  heed  in 
such  a  cause  be  given  to  cold  and  hunger  and  fatigue.  Daylight 
finds  him  below  Jefferson.  A  little  breathing  ppell  is  given,  for 
this  is  the  fifth  day  those  men  have  been  doing  work— four  days 
already  have  they  been  making  history. 

"What   white  line  in   the  distance?     Yankee  wagons.     For- 


OUR  WESTERN   CAVALIERS.  115 

ward!  cautiously,  men,  cautiously ;  close  up  quickly,  but  with- 
out  noise  !  A  shot— a  volley— a  yell -and  like  the  wolf  on  the 
fold,  the  men  of  the  South  hurl  themselves  on  the  invader.  Soon 
a  shuddeiing,  shrinking  group  of  prisoners  are  mouuted  on  the 
captured  mules;  and  with  the  light  of  fifty  blazing  wagons  to 
signal  the  first  accomplishment  of  a  glorious  design,  the  line 
moves  on.  Past  cedar  glades  and  wild  inland  copses  ;  past  rising 
streams  and  over  hill?  and  fields,  the  cavalcade  moves  on.  La- 
vergne  !  once  sweet  village  of  the  plain,  but  now  almost  a  desert 
wild,  with  its  blackened  homesteads,  and  the  eloquent  silence  of 
the  few  inhabitants  whicb  the  monster  of  invasion  has  spared  — 
Lavergne  is  before  us  I  Three  columns  quickly  deploy,  and  at  the 
word,  three  eager,  daring  and  unbroken  lines  pounce  on  the  un- 
suspecting foe.  Again  the  weapons  are,  dropped,  the  hand9  held 
up  imploringly,  and  pale,  affrighted  faces  seem  to  expect  a  right- 
eous doom  General  Wheeler  and  his  staff  approach.  Colonel 
Hawkins,  in  a  solemn  and  touching  manner,  administers  the 
parole,  and  others  quickly  take  the  registry  of  names.  The  eve- 
ning gathers,  but  its  shades  are  powerless;  two  hundred  wagons 
laden  richly,  almost  with  wealth  of  argosies  from  foreign  strands, 
light  the  horizon  with  a  ruddy  glow.  Burn  and  brighten  cheerily, 
0  Christmas  tires  of  Freedom  !  Whose  fine  trunks  a're  these  ? 
McCook's  Pile  on  the  blazing  brands.  Woik  hard,  boys.  Cut 
the  spokes ;  unhitch  the  mules ;  mount,  Yankees,  and  away. 
More  miled  of  ceiar  thicket  ;  more  pallid,  tearful  faces  at  the 
wayside  casements,  doubtful  whether  we  be  friend  or  foe.  Ah, 
those  coats  of  brown  and  gray  !  The  white  handkerchiefs  wave  ; 
the  dainty  hands  throw  kisses  warm  with  love  and  trust  to  us  in 
that  bleak  December  air.  Still  on  to  Nolensville  ;  more  deserttd 
homes;  more  timid,  cowering  foemen.  'Fall  in  prisoners,  in  two 
ranks!'  More  paroles,  rr ore  wagons,  moie  mules,  more  Yankees 
distraught  at  such  wantm  destruction  of  property.  Night  falls  ; 
Wheeler  and  his  gallant  troopers  have  gone  the  grand  rounds  for 
old  Rosecrans  ;  may  he  sleep  easy.  Two  dns  after  to  Lavergne 
again  Wheeler,  as  ever,  in  the  van  The  long  reach  of  pike  is 
like  a  wide  sheet  of  flames.  How  eagerly  they  lick  in  the  fresh 
New  Year's  air.  Blaze  after  blaze,  till  it  seems  as  if  Fate  has 
written  there  a  sentence  of  fire,  punctuated  every  few  rods  by  a 
dead  Yankee  Yes,  Fate  !  Ye  inglorious  dead,  ye  can  no  more 
do  dishonor.  Day  by  day,  before  arms  strong  with  hate  and  scorn, 
your  vile  brood  lessens.     And  so  let  it  be,  till  in  every  Northern 


116  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

home  the  love-lights  are  put  out  by  scalding  tears  of  giief  and 
shame. 

"Our  loss  in  numbers  is  trifling;  but  a  few  have  suffered. 
Allen  is  wounded  ;  M'Caw  is  dowu  to  rise  no  more ;  Patterson 
reels  a  bleeding  corpse  from  his  horse,  his  grey  hairs  to  be  a 
laugh  and  a  jest  to  those  infuriated  fiends;  Prentice  turns  sick 
with  pain  from  his  place  in  iront ;  Wailes  moans,  'my  friend,  I 
am  wounded  ;'  Ledyaid  falls. 

"But  the  woik  is  done,  and  even  from  cannon's  mouth  and 
musket's  blazing  throat  no  heavier  blow  has  cr  me  than  fell  when 
Wheeler's  brave  brigade,  with  clattering  hoof  and  clanging  swords, 
traced  in  lines  of  flame  and  gore  another  page  in  our  country's 
history.  It  reads  like  a  vision  of  the  Orient,  like  a  wild  fancy  of 
some  lone  dreamer's  brain ;  yet  this  and  more  took  place  in  those 
few  recent  days,  when  our  tried  and  true  went  up  to  victory." 

In  the  execution  of  these  amazing  feats,  our 
"  mounted  gladiators"  left  many  a  gallant  comrade 
behind  them.  They  seem,  however,  to  have  made  a 
mere  holiday  amusement  of  the  business,  killing  and 
consuming  less  in  malice  than  in  mirth.  "The 
Yankee  pickets,"  says  one  of  them,  "  had  promised 
us  a  Christmas  ball ;  Bragg  was  now  giving  them 
the  music,  and  we  were  dancing  to  Wheeler's  Quick- 
step." 

They  took  at  least  nine  hundred  prisoners,  de- 
stroyed three  hundred  and  fifty  wagons,  captured 
and  stampeded  two  thousand  and  one  hundred  mules 
and  horses,  relieved  Mr.  Lincoln  of  something  more 
than  a  million  dollars'  worth  of  property,  and  de- 
voured McCook's  new  year's  turkey  in  his  tent. 

On   the  twenty-ninth  and  thirtieth- Wheeler  and 

Wharton  seem  to  have  kept  company  and  acted  in 

concert.     On  the  thirty-first  their  commands  were 

.  separated ;  whether  by  mistake  or  by  design  is  not 

apparent.     Wharton,    however,    pushed   vigorously 


OUR  WESTERN   CAVALIERS.  117 

on  to  the  enemy's  rear,  took  a  hundred  and  fifty 
prisoners,  drove  off  four  hundred  mules,  and  applied 
the  torch  to  a  hundred  loaded  wagons.  One  of  the 
vehicles  contained  the  valuables  of  the  chief  pay- 
master ;  to-wit,  the  accounts  and  vouchers  of  the 
army,  and  a  million  of  Federal  greenbacks,  for  set- 
tling with  Lincoln's  "hired  help."  This  required  no 
turpentine,  and  a  single  match  was  sufficient  to  pro- 
duce a  most  frightful  billious  inflammation.  Another, 
filled  with  ammunition,  being  fired,  was  drawn  off 
by  four  affrighted  mules,  in  full  jump,  toward  the 
Yankee  lines.  Flames  spreading,  shells  exploding, 
animals  plunging  and  kicking,  blue  coats  getting  out 
of  the  way  with  all  convenient  speed,  constituted  a 
somewhat  amusing  spectacle,  well  adapted  to  give  a 
person  of  lively  imagination  a  tolerably  accurate 
idea  of  what  many  have  heard  of,  but  no  one  has 
seen — "  hell  in  harness." 

Wharton  afterward  made  four  successive  charges 
upon  a  stockade,  in  which  a  large  force  of  the  enemy 
had  ensconced  themselves;  but  night  coming  on, 
obliged  him  to  desist  before  he  had  accomplished  its 
reduction  ;  when  he  mounted  his  prisoners  upon  his 
captured  mules,  and  returned  in  triumph  to  his 
camp.  The  next  day  he  took  part  in  that  desperate 
charge  in  which  the  brave  Hanson  fell,  and  the  blood 
of  Texas  mingled  with  that  of  Kentucky.  His 
brigade,  numbering  two  thousand,  sustained  a  loss  of 
three  hundred  killed  and  wounded,  of  whom  sixty- 
three  belonged  to  the  Rangers. 

After  resting  his  jaded  horses  and  recruiting  his 
exhausted   troopers   a   few    days   at   Beech    Grove, 


118  CAMP  AND   FIELD. 

Wheeler  set  forth  again  for  parts  unknown.  On  the 
fifteenth  of  January  he  reached  the  Cumberland 
River  opposite  the  famous  I Iarpeth  Shoals,  and  there 
awaited  the  development  of  events.  Soon  came  a 
fleet  of  four  steamers,  convoj^ed  by  two  small  gun- 
boats. General  Wheeler  immediately  disposed  his 
force  for  action.  From  a  formidable  bluff  he  opened 
his  batteries  upon  the  startled  flotilla.  The  com- 
mandant now  made  his  appearance  on  the  deck  of 
one  of  the  gunboats,  frantically  waving  a  white 
handkerchief.  The  other  gunboat  escaped,  while 
this  was  burned,  with  three  of  the  transports,  and 
their  cargoes,  consisting  of  supplies  for  Rosecrans. 
The  remaining  transport,  after  the  destruction  of  its 
contents,  was  bonded  for  the  transportation  of  the 
four  hundred  prisoners  taken,  who  were  promptly 
paroled  and  sent  down  the  river.  Our  indomitable 
chieftain  then  swam  the  Cumberland,  swollen  by  the 
recent  rains,  attacked  a  huge  wagon-train,  over- 
powered the  guard,  and  destroyed  an  immense  quan- 
tity of  provisions  destined  for  Nashville.  This 
brilliant  coup  de  guerre  sent  a  ray  of  sunshine  into  a 
thousand  desolate  homes,  revived  the  hopes  of  a 
thousand  desponding  hearts,  and  added  another 
diamond  to  the  young  victor's  coroncl.  Who  will 
henceforth  disparage  the  valor  of  Our  Western 
Cavaliers  ? 


X. 
THE  OPEN  SEPULCHER. 


(JANUARY,     1863.) 


"  Their  throat  is  an  open  sepulcher ;  *  *  *  *  the  poison  of 
asps  is  under  their  lips ;  whose  mouth  is  full  of  cursing  and  bitter- 
ness." St.  Paul. 

David  exclaims,  in  one  of  the  psalms,  "  Woe  is 
me,  that  I  dwell  in  Mesech,  that  I  sojourn  ui  the 
tents  of  Kedar."  Mesech  was  the  son  of  Jephtha, 
whose  progeny  peopled  the  drear}'  regions  of  northern 
Asia;  and  Kedar  was  the  son  of  Ishmael,  whose  de- 
scendants, then  as  now,  wandered  without  a  settled 
home  through  the  wild  solitudes  of  Arabia  Deserta. 
Literally,  David  neither  dwelt  with  the  former,  nor 
sojourned  with  the  latter;  but,  as  his  melancholy 
complaint  implies,  he  was  surrounded  with  men 
whose  manners  were  as  distasteful  to  him  as  those  of 
the  barbarous  Moschi  or  the  brutal  Kedarines. 
Driven  out  from  the  presence  of  King  Saul ;  chased 
from  house  and  hold  by  the  royal  arm}' ;  watched 
by  a  host  of  spies  and  informers,  who  sought  the 
favor  of  a  wicked  monarch  by  the  betrayal  of  the 
innocent  blood;  obliged  to  cast  himself  upon  the 
patronage  of  a  heathen  prince,  and  consort  with  an 
idolatrous  and  degraded  people ;  while  his  own  ad- 
herents consisted  chiefly  of  outlaws  and  desperadoes, 


120  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

who  resorted  to  him  in  their  extremity;  his  environ- 
ments in  court  and  camp  were  not  more  revolting  to 
his  taste,  than  the  moral  practices  of  his  associates 
were  shocking  to  his  piety.  And  as  the  soul  of 
righteous  Lot  was  vexed  from  day  to  day  with  the 
fdthy  conversation  of  the  men  of  Sodom ;  and  as 
the  prophet  Jeremiah  wept  day  and  night  for  the 
apostacy  and  consequent  captivity  of  his  Hebrew 
brethren  ;  so  the  Lord's  anointed  deplored,  in  most 
pathetic  strains,  the  profligacy  and  impiety,  of  which, 
in  his  long  and  weary  exile,  he  was  constantly  the 
unwilling  witness,  as  he  sings  mournfully  in  another 
of  the  psalms:  "I  beheld  the  transgressors,  and  was 
grieved :  rivers  of  waters  run  down  mine  eyes,  be- 
cause* they  keep  not  thy  law.'' 

What  pure  and  pious  heart  can  be  happy  amid 
the  guilty  license  of  those  who  fear  not  God  neither 
regard  man?  And  what  Christian,  that  has  spent 
some  time  in  the  army,  and  seen  the  wanton  wicked- 
ness of  our  soldiery,  has  not  felt  like  uttering  the 
lamentation  of  David  ?  "  Woe  is  me,  that  I  dwell 
in  Mesich,  that  I  sojourn  in  the  tents  of  Kedar !" 

•  The  astute  author  of  Lacon  says:  "Men,  by  as- 
sociating in  large  masses,  as  in  camps  and  in  cities, 
improve  their  talents,  but  impair-their  virtues;  and 
strengthen  their  minds,  while  they  weaken  their 
morals ;  and  thus  a  retrocession  in  the  one  is  too 
often  the  price  they  pay  for  a  refinement  in  the 
other."  As  far  as  this  elegant  antithesis  applies  to 
the  camp,  the  mental  improvement  is,  to  say  the 
least,  a  matter  of  doubt ;  but  concerning  the  moral 
deterioration,  I  think,  there  can  be  no  controversy. 


THE   OPEN   SEPULCHER.  121 

War,  indeed,  is  proverbially  demoralizing.  As 
Burke  says,  it  "suspends  the  rules  of  moral  obliga- 
tion, and  what  is  long  suspended  is  in  danger  of 
being  totally  abrogated.""  There  is  much  in  the 
scenes  and  associations  of  the  camp  and  the  field,  to 
harden  the  heart,  and  lead  the  soul  astray.  The 
soldier  is  exiled  from  the  house  of  God,  and  in  a 
great  measure  deprived  of  his  blessed  Sabbath. 
Many  regiments  are  without  chaplains,  many  knap- 
sacks without  Bibles.  The  .young  man,  before  his 
virtuous  habits  and  principles  are  fully  established, 
is  far  removed  from  the  conservative  influences  of 
home,  and  exposed  to  new  and  strange  temptations. 
Sinners  entice  him,  and  he  too  often  consents.  The 
contagion  of  bad  example  is  fatal  to  the  health  of 
the  soul.     If 

"  One  sickly  sheep  infects  the  flock, 
And  poisons  all  the  rest,1' 

what  is  to  be  expected  in  such  an  assemblage  of  cor- 
rupt and  corrupting  influences,  where  vice  spreads 
with  the  celerity  of  pestilence  and  more  than  the  fa- 
tality of  plague ! 

Now,  of  all  the  evil  practices  of  the  army,  none 
is  more  common  than  the  use  of  profane  language. 
A  custom,  this,  of  well-nigh  universal  prevalence.. 
It  is  astonishing,  how  soon  a  young  man  learns  to 
swear.  Many  who  at  home  never  uttered  an  irreve- 
rent expression,  now  seldom  speak  without  an  oath. 
Some  love  to  display  their  genius  in  the  invention  of 
new  and  startling  forms  of  blasphemy.  It  seems  to 
be  considered  manly,  heroic,  almost  virtuous,  to  in- 
sult Almighty  God  to  his  face,  and  grieve  the  hearts 
K 


122  •*     CAMP   AND    FIELD. 

of  those  who  revere  his  name.  And  the  saddest 
thing  of  all  is,  that  the  officers  should  set  so  per- 
nicious an  example  to  the  soldiers ;  that  men  of 
intelligence  and  refinement  should  indulge  habitually 
in  so  disgusting  and  degrading  a  vice  ;  that  those 
who  stickle  for  the  merest  punctilios  of  military  rule 
and  order,  should  wholly  disregard  the  third  item  in 
the  "Articles  of  War,"  which  makes  any  profane 
oath  or  execration  punishable  with  public  and  severe 
reprimand,  imprisonment,  and  fine,  at  the  hands  of  a 
court-martial.  But  alas!  there  are  even  of  our  Cap- 
tains, Colonels,  and  Generals  in  command — and  I 
fear  they  are  by  far  the  greater  number — who  are 
sadly  addicted  to  this  "superfluity  of  naughtiness." 
Before  my  connection  with  the  service,  I  never 
imagined  that  men  could  make  themselves  so  vile. 
Among  the  gallant  defenders  of  our  homes  and 
liberties,  I  have  heard  more  cursing  and  swearing  in 
twenty -four  hours,  than  in  all  my  life  before.  In 
camp,  throughout  the  day,  my  ears  are  painfully 
shocked  with  the  most  dreadful  forms  of  profanity  ; 
and  often,  amid  the  silence  of  the  night,  those  fright- 
ful utterances  come  floating  through  my  brain,  like 
voices  of  fiends  borne  on  chance  blasts  from  hell. 
The  air,  indeed,  is  so  filled  with  profanity,  that  it 
seems  to  swear  without  a  tongue.  The  sound  of 
blasphemy  haunts  me  everywhere ;  disturbs  my  rest; 
pollutes  my  dreams;  desecrates  my  devotions;  in- 
trudes upon  my  holiest  solitudes  ;  mingles  with  the 
gracious  words  which  fell  from  the  lips  of  my  Re- 
deemer ;  and  odious  as  it  is  to  me — and  I  solemnly 
aver  that   there  is   no  other   vice   so  revolting — I 


THE   OPEN   SEPULCHER.  123 

sometimes  fear  that  I  shall  learn  the  loathsome  prac- 
tice myself! 

What  is  more  offensive  than  "  an  open  sepulcher  "  ? 
what  more  ghastly  than  its  grinning  skeleton,  or 
more  noisome  than  the  effluvia  which  it  exhales? 
Yet  to  such  an  object  the  apostle  compares  the 
throats  of  wicked  men,  their  lips  to  the  fangs  of  a 
deadly  serpent ;  and  adds,  "whose  mouth  is  full  of 
Cursing  and  bitterness."  And  if  Our  moral  sense 
were  properly  quickened  and  corrected,  we  should 
all  regard  profane  swearing  with  something  of  apos- 
tolical abhorrence. 

Would  that  I  could  cure  this  desperate  disease? 
Would  that  I  could  reform  every  profane  tongue  in 
the  Confederate  Army  !  "  Who  will  rise  up  for  me 
against  the  evil-doers?  or  who  will  stand  up  for  me 
against  the  workers  of  iniquity?"  I  have  a  specific 
to  offer;  but  in  morals,  as  in  medicine,  the  best 
remedies  are  often  unavailing  from  the  negligence  or 
the  resistance  of  the  patient.  Kebuke,  remonstrance, 
the  most  cogent  arguments,  and  the  most  solemn 
dissuasives,  are  all  useless,  without  the  ear  and  the 
heart  of  those  who  are  most  deeply  concerned  in  the 
matter.  Hoping  that  some  of  our  soldiers  may  read 
these  pages,  I  proceed  to  offer  several  considerations 
against  the  vice  in  question  ;  which  I  trust  will  be 
received  as  kindly  as  they  are  recorded,  and  pondered 
with  a  seriousness  worthy  of  their  importance. 

I.  Profane  swearing  is  a  senseless  habit. 

In  reply  to  my  reproofs,  it  is  often  said:  "  O,  I 
mean  nothing  by  it!"  Now,  this  is  precisely  the 
objection  which  I  urge  against  the  practice;  it  means 


124  CAMP   AISI>   FIELD. 

nothing.  Shall  a  man  of  sense  utter  words  without 
meaning?  King  Solomon  saith,  "  The  lips  of  the 
wise  disperse  knowledge,  but  the  mouth  of  fools 
poureth  out  foolishness."  Again,  it  is  written,  "  The 
heart  of  the  righteous  studieth  to  answer,  but  the 
mouth  of  the  wicked  poureth  out  evil  things." 
These  passages  mean,  that  the  wise,  -the  righteous, 
speak  prudently  and  profitably,  exhibiting  in  their 
discourse  both  sound  sense  and  a  good  heart ;  but 
the  foolish,  the  wicked,  talk  rashly  and  recklessly, 
spewing  out  their  folly  like  a  flood,  and  vomiting 
forth  the  evil  that  is  in  them  like  an  avalanche.  The 
profane  swearer  is  like  the  bell  in  the  steeple,  which 
is  void  of  brains,  but  has  a  huge  tongue,  and  makes 
a  great  noise.  Such  a  habit  most  strongly  indicates 
a  want  of  sense  ;  and  I  cannot  see  how  anything  but 
the  want  of  sense  can  reconcile  any  man  to  the  habit. 

II.  It  is  as  useless  as  it  is  senseless. 

He  who  indulges  in  it  is  certainly  no  utilitarian. 
He  never  asks  the  question,  in  reference  to  this 
practice,  which  most  men  ask  in  reference  to  all  their 
undertakings — Cui  bono?  Other  vices  may  afford 
either  gain  or  gratification  ;  but  what  gain  or  grati- 
fication can  result  from  oaths  and  curses?  Do  they 
meet  any  want  of  a  man's  nature  ?  Bo  they  respond 
to  any  desire  of  his  heart?  Do  they  improve  his 
credit,  enlarge  his  business,  or  augment  his  store? 
Do  they  win  the  applause,  or  attract  the  confidence 
of  his  kind  ?  Do  they  elevate  his  character  with 
others,  or  increase  his  respect  for  himself?  Will  his 
neighbors  believe  him  the  sooner  for  swearing  to  all 
he  says?     Will  they  give  him  any  place  of  trust  or 


THE  OPEN  SEPULCHER.  125 

honor  because  he  is  an  adept  in  the  language  of 
impiety?  Is  habitual  cursing  usually  regarded  as  a 
mark  of  superior  intelligence  and  refinement,  of 
courage,  of  magnanimity,  or  of  any  other  excellent 
quality  ?  What  good  purpose  does  it  answer?  Were 
it  not  well  for  every  man  who  is  addicted  to  this 
habit,  always,  before  uttering  a  profane  expression, 
to  pause  and  ask  himself  the  Yankee  question, 
"Will  it  pay?" 

III.  It  is  no  less  discourteous  than  useless. 

The  man  of  true  courtesy  will  do  nothing  unneces- 
sarily, that  is  likely  to  inflict  pain  upon  others.  He 
would  rather  forego  his  own  reasonable  gratification, 
than  offend  the  taste  or  wound  the  feelings  of  his 
neighbor.  Who  would  use  a  father's  name  with 
contemptuous  levity  or  disrespect  in  the  presence 
of  his  son?  and  will  the  true  gentleman  treat  irrev- 
erently the  blessed  name  of  God  in  the  hearing 
of  his  children  ?  The  pious  hold  the  Divine  name 
in  great  veneration,  and  nothing  grieves  them  more 
than  to  hear  it  recklessly  profaned.  "There  is  that 
speaketh,"  saith  Solomon,  "like  the  piercing  of  a 
sword  ;"  and  often,  though  I  have  given  no  expres- 
sion to  my  feelings,  hath  the  iron  entered  into  my 
own  soul.  He  that  utters  a  wicked  oath  in  my 
presence  wantonly  insults  me,  for  he  trifles  with  the 
name  of  my  Father,  and  tramples  upon  my  feelings 
as-a  Christian.  Nay,  setting  aside  all  consideration  of 
religion,  profane  language  must  be  extremely  dis- 
tasteful to  a  person  of  refined  and  cultivated  sensi- 
bilities, and  he  who  employs  it  in  the  hearing  of  such 
a  person  commits  an  egregious  breach  of  courtesy.. 
-    K* 


126  CAMP   AXD    FIKLD. 

I  was  lately  traveling  on  the  railway,  when  a  young 
officer  entered  the  car  both  smoking  and  swearing. 
I  said  to  him  mildly,  "  Captain,  would  you  not  dis- 
pense with  your  segar,  if  you  knew  that  it  made 
some  one  present  very  sick?"  "0,  certainly,  sir," 
he  replied,  "is  my  smoking  offensive  to  you?" 
"  No,  sir,"  I  answered,  "but  your  swearing  is."  "I 
beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  lie  exclaimed ;  "  and  I  thank 
you  for  the  reproof."  He  felt  that  he  had  been 
guilty  of  a  discourtesy ;  and  he  sat  down  by  my 
side,  and  discoursed  with  me  an  hour  without  an 
oath.  Many,  who  are  too  polite  to  puff  tobacco 
smoke  in  a  gentleman's  face,  think  nothing  of  pour- 
•mff  the  dissonances  of  hell  into  a  Christian's  ears.  1 
dislike  tobacco  smoke ;  but  I  would  rather  breathe 
tobacco  smoke  as  dense  and  foul  as  a  London  fog, 
than  have  mvsoul  suffocated  with  these  fumes  of  the 
bottomless  pit.  Some  may  protest  against  the  charge 
of  discourtesjr,  and  in  other  respects  they  may  be  the 
politest  of  men  \  but  just  so  far  as  they  indulge  in 
a  habit  so  shocking  to  many  and  so  distasteful  to 
more,  just  so  far  they  come  short  of  being  perfect 
gentlemen. 

IV.  It  is  indecent  as  well  as  discourteous. 

Even  those  who  practice  it  must  admit  this  propo- 
sition. They  do  tacitly  admit  it,  by  bridling  their 
tongues  in  the  presence  of  ladies  and  superiors. 
Why  should  they  refrain,  unless  they  deem  the 
practice  indecent?  Indecent  it  certainly  is,  as  all 
good  men  bear  witness,  and  the  most  profane  are 
obliged  to  acknowledge.  One  whom  I  reproved  the 
other  day,   pronounced  it    "a   foolish  habit,  and  a 


THE   OPEN   SEPULCHER.  127 

mighty  ugly  one."  It  is,  indeed,  "a  mighty  ugly 
one,"  and  all  its  features  proclaim  its  satanic  father- 
hood. Vices  there  are,  which,  for  their  grossly 
sensual  character,  are  properly  called  bestial ;  but  no 
beast  ever  uttered  a  profane  oath,  or  execration  of 
its  kind,  or  blasphemy  against  its  Maker.  There  is 
only  one  recorded  instance,  well  authenticated,  of  a 
brute  "speaking  with  man's  voice;"  and  he,  though 
he  had  much  greater  provocation  than  most  profane 
swearers,  was  not  ass  enough  to  curse  Baalam.  He 
"forbade  the  madness  of  the  prophet,"  but  he  did 
not  swear. 

If  a  man  may  be  judged  of  by  his  associations,  so 
may  a  vice.  Apply  this  test  to  the  vice  in  question. 
What  company  does  it  keep?  That  of  the  most 
ignorant  and  degraded,  of  the  most  dissolute  and 
abandoned.  They  are  its  chief  patrons  and  panders, 
and  it  is  always  most  at  home  in  such  society.  What 
are  its  familiar  haunts?  The  bar-room  and  ihe  brothel, 
the  gamblers'  saloon  and  the  public  race-course. 
There  it  is  most  at  home.  There  it  breathes  freely 
and  flourishes  luxuriantly.  It  mutters  sullenly  in 
the  felon's  dungeon,  raves  fiercely  in  the  maniac's 
grated  cell,  and  riots  triumphantly  in  the  vilest  dens 
of  guilt  and  shame. 

Other  vices  may  require  money,  or  beauty,  or 
knowledge,  or  genius,  or  generosity,  or  contempt  of 
danger,  or  indifference  to  suffering,  'or  a  reputation 
for  probity  and  honor,  or  the  influence  of  superior 
social  position.  This  is  a  xcry  cheap  vice,  practi 
successfully  without  any  of  these  advantages  and 
facilities,    needing  nothing  but    a    shallow    brain,  a 


128  CAMP   AND    FIELD. 

vulgar  taste,  a  wicked  heart,  a  brazen  brow,  a  filthy 
tongue,  the  parrot's  faculty  of  imitation,  and  just 
memory  enough  to  retain  the  most  odious  and  impious 
expressions  ever  gleaned  from  the  filthy  purlieus  of 
human  depravity.  It  is  essentially  coarse  and  undig- 
nified ;  and  he  who  is  addicted  to  it  displays  a  sad 
poverty  of  intellect,  a  deplorable  want  of  true  refine- 
ment, and  an  utter  destitution  of  moral  sensibility. 

V.  Its  impiety  is  greater  than  its  indecency. 

It  consists  chiefly  in  a  familiar  use  of  the  sacred 
names  and  titles  of  God,  and  a  presumptuous  trifling 
with  his  august  perfections  and  prerogatives.  The 
simplest  description  of  such  an  act  is  sufficient  proof 
of  its  impiety.  The  first  petition  taught  us  by  Our 
Lord  in  that  admirable  prayer  is,  "Hallowed  be  thy 
name."  The  cherubim  cover  their  faces  with  their 
wings  and  fall  prostrate  in  the  presence  of  the  Divine 
glory;  and  the  seraphim  tremble  while,  they  cry, 
"Holy,  Holy,  Holy  Lord  God  of  hosts!"  The 
purest  and  greatest  of  men  have  ever  spoken  rev- 
erently of  the  Supreme,  and  the  wise  and  virtuous 
have  never  trifled  with  his  honor.  It  is  said  of  Sir 
Isaac  Newton,  that  he  always  made  a  solemn  pause 
before  uttering  that  awful  name ;  and  of  Charles 
Lamb,  that  he  was  accustomed  to  remove  his  hat 
whenever  he  heard  it  pronounced.  The  Jews  would 
not  tread  upon  a  piece  of  writing,  lest  it  might 
chance  to  contain  the  name  of  God;  one  of  his 
names  they  deemed  too  sacred  to  be  uttered  by 
human  lips  ;  and  their  law  adjudged  the  blasphemer 
to  death  by  public  stoning.  .  The  Romish  priests 
always  take  off  the  cap  when  they  pronounce   the 


THE   OPEN   SEPULCHER.  129 

name  of  Jesus  in  their  sermons;  and  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  the  whole  congregation  are  accustomed  to 
bow  wherever  it  occurs  in  the  litany.  But  0,  how 
many  swear  lightly  by  that  blessed  name,  which  is 
above  every  name,  which  reminds  us  of  Olivet  and 
Calvary,  on  which  we  depend  for  our  redemption 
from  death  and  hell !  Many  a  soldier,  who  would 
not  trifle  with  the  name  of  his  general  in  command, 
will  trample  in  the  dust  the  honor  of  the  Captain  of 
his  salvation.  In  short,  men  treat  the  Great  God 
with  far  less  of  reverence  than  they  treat  their  fellow 
worms.  They  rush  where  angels  fear  to  stand,  and 
vomit  their  vocal  insolence  and  contempt  upon  the 
very  footstool  of  the  Almighty's  throne! 

"Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy 
God  in  vain,  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless 
that  taketh  his  name  in  vain  " — is  one  of  the  prohi- 
bitions thundered  from  the  flaming  top  of  Sinai,  and 
written  with  the  finger  of  God  upon  the  tables  of 
stone.  "  Swear  not  at  all;  neither  by  Heaven,  for  it 
is  God's  throne ;  nor  by  the  earth,  for  it  is  his  foot- 
stool ;  nor  by  Jerusalem,  for  it  is  the  city  of  the 
great  King  ;  nor  by  thy  head,  because  thou  canst  not 
make  one  hair  white  or  black  " — is  one  of  the  solemn 
admonitions  uttered  by  the  lips  of  Redeeming  Love, 
when  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh  he  tabernacled 
and  dwelt  among  us.  Can  these  Divine  teachings  be 
disregarded  with  impunity  ?  Jehovah  is  jealous  of 
his  honor,  and  will  not  brook  the  insolence  of  the 
worm.  "Whoso  despiseth  the  word  shall  be  de- 
stroyed." 

And  is  there  no  impiety  in  the   perversion  of  a 


130  CAMP   AND    FIELD. 

noble  faculty  ?  Speech  is  one  of  the  chief  distinctions 
of  the  man  from  the  brute.  Through  all  the  animal 
tribes,  complete  organs  of  speech  have  been  found 
only  in  connection  with  the  rational  soul.  It  is  a 
glorious  thing,  peculiar  to  the  human  species,  to  be 
able  to  communicate  thought  and  feeling  by  articulate 
sounds.  And  what  was  the  design  of  this  grand 
endowment?  The  dishonor  of  its  Author,  and  the 
grief  of  the  wise  and  good  ?  Shall  so  sublime  a 
faculty  be  so  miserably  degraded  ?  And  has  not  the 
tongue,  with  the  whole  body,  been  redeemed  with 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ?  Doubly  its  Creator's 
by  redemption,  shall  it  not  be  devoted  to  his  praise? 
And  is  it  not  destined,  in  the  blessed  world  to  come, 
to  blend  with  the  tongues  of  cherubim  and  seraphim, 
and  swell  the  many-voiced  harmony  around  the 
throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb?  And  yet  there  are 
who  say,  "With  our  mouth  have  .we  prevailed; 
our  lips  are  our  own  ;  who  is  lord  over  us?"  They 
pervert  one  of  the  chief  endowments  of  nature  to 
the  dishonor  of  God  and  the  destruction  of  human 
souls. 

The  language  of  the  profane  swearer,  what  is  it 
but  the  very  vernacular  of  hell  ?  It  is  not  the 
language  of  Heaven ;  there  is  no  cursing  there,  but 
all  are  perpetually  employed  in  blessing  and  praise. 
It  is  not  properly  the  language  of  earth  ;  God  never 
contemplated  it  in  the  provisions  of  nature,  and 
tribes  there  are  who  have  no  words  in  their  voca- 
bulary of  an  impious  or  irreverent  character.  Nay, 
it  is  the  native  and  habitual  language  of  hell ;  for 
there  every  mouth  is  full  of  execration,  and  impre- 


THE   OPEN   SEPULCHER.  131 

cation,  and  blasphemy.  It  is  the  attempt  of  lost 
spirits  to  transform  men  into  demons,  and  convert 
our  terrestial  abode  into  the  counterpart  of  their  own 
terrible  home.  It  is  hell  transferred  to  earth.  The 
wise  monarch  saith  that  "in  the  lips  of  an  ungodly 
man  there  is  as  it  were  the  burning  of  a  fire ;"  and 
St.  James  tells  us  that  "the  tongue  is  a  lire,"  that  it 
"setteth  on  fire  the  course  of  nature,  and  it  is  set  on 
fire  of  hell."  I  may  say,  then,  to  the  profane  swearer, 
"  Thy  speech  bewrayeth  thee."  He  speaks  the  dialect 
of  demons.  His  language  proclaims  his  country  and 
his  kindred.  He  is  practising  for  his  future  association 
and  employment.  In  bell  he  shall  have  cursing 
enough  for  evermore. 

VI.  This  is  of  all  vices  the  least  excusable. 

What  can  a  man  plead  in  apology  or  extenuation  ? 
The  thoughtlessness  of  the  practice?  Thoughtless- 
ness itself  is  a  crime,  and  rather  augments  than 
justifies  or  palliates  the  crime  that  it  causes.  God 
has  given  us  the  power  of  thought,  and  no  man  can 
be  guiltless  in  the  neglect  of  its  exercise. 

What  will  the  profane  swearer  plead?  The  popu- 
larity of  the  custom  ?  Its  popularity  is  no  mitiga- 
tion of  its  guilt.  "  Thou  shalt  not  follow  a  multi- 
tude to  do  evil."  If  others  do  wrong,  there  is  the 
greater  necessity  that  we  should  do  right,  Nor  shall 
we  escape  punishment  by  being  with  the  many. 
"Though  hand  join  in  hand,  the  wicked  shall  not 
go  unpunished."  The  crowd  arc  in  the  broad  way 
to  destruction.  The  additional  fuel  will  only  aug- 
ment the  flame. 

What  will  the  offender  plead?     His  ignorance  of 


132  CAMP   AND    F1ELP. 

its  enormity  ?  But  who  can  be  so  blind  as  not  to 
sec  the  sinfulness  of  such  a  habit?  Who  can  con- 
found the  grape-vine  and  the  fig-tree  with  the  thorn 
and  the  thistle,  or  believe  that  the  foul  and  turbid 
stream  proceeds  from  a  pure  and  transparent  foun- 
tain? u  Many  crimes,"  says  Doctor  Jeter,  "are  the 
excess  of  innocent  dispositions  and  lawful  indulg- 
ences; we  pass  imperceptibly  from  the  right  to  the 
wrong;  and  the  most  descriminating  casuist  may 
not  be  able  to  decide  at  what  point  the  one  ends  and 
the  other  begins."  But  this  certainly  does  not  ap- 
ply to  profane  language.  In  regard  to  this,  the  pro- 
hibition is  plain  and  unmistakable.  The  swearer 
sins  knowingly,  wilfully,  defiantly.  "There  is  no 
fear  of  Grod  before  his  eyes." 

What,  then,  will  he  plead?  The  difficulty  of 
reformation?  There  is  no  insuperable  difficulty. 
There  is  no  real  difficulty.  The  "  can  not "  is  a  will 
not.  If  the  soldier  can  restrain  his  tongue  in  the 
presence  of  his  commanding  officer,  if  the  most 
inveterate  swearer  can  suppress  the  oath  in  the  com- 
pany of  a  lady  or  a  clergyman,  why  can  he  not  do  the 
same  always  and  everywhere?  There  wants  but 
the  will,  the  resolution,  the  determined  effort,  in 
humble  dependence  upon  that  all-sufficient  grace 
which  is  never  sought  in  vain.  I  know  a  young 
man  who  was  formerly  very  profane,  but  has  re- 
formed since  he  entered  the  army.  If  one  can  do  it, 
why  not  another?  why  not  all?  Seneca  says, 
"There  is  no  evil  propensity  of  the  human  heart  so 
powerful  that  it  may  not  be  subdued  by  discipline." 
And    if   Socrates   conquered   his   intemperate   and 


THE   OPEN  SEPULCHEK,  133 

libidinous  habits  by  his  philosophy,  what  may  not 
we  do  by  the  grace  of  God  ? 

But  what  will  he  plead  ?  The  power  of  tempta- 
tion? What  temptation  is  there?  what  profit  to  be 
gained?  what  pleasure  to  be  enjoyed ?  what  passion 
to  be  gratified?  what  possible  good  to  be  realized? 
An  old  divine  says,  "  When  the  devil  fishes  for 
other  sinners,  he  baits  the  hook  with  some  earthly 
advantage,  real  or  imaginary;  but  when  he  fishes  for 
profane  swearers,  he  throws  them  the  naked  hook, 
and  the  fools  bite  at  that."  u  In  vain  is  the  net 
spread  in  the  sight  of  any  bird;"  but  the  swearer 
leaps  into  the  snare  of  the  devil,  and  is  led  captive 
by  him  at  his  will.  Satan  usually  puts  on  the  angel's 
robe,  and  smiles  with  the  angel's  face,  and  speaks 
with  the  angel's  tongue;  but  in  this  case  he  presents 
himself  in  all  his  native  hideousness,  and  the  swearer 
rushes  into  his  father's  arms.  Generally  he  conceals 
the  mouth  of  hell,  and  strews  it  over  with  flowers; 
but  here  he  shows  the  open  abyss,  and  the  swearer 
plunges  headlong  into  the  flaming  gulf.  It  is  written, 
that  "  fools  make  a  mock  at  sin ;"  and  to  whom  does 
this  apply  more  properly  than  to  profane  swearers? 
They  treat  sin  as  a  very  trivial  matter,  though  "it  is 
an  evil  and  exceeding  bitter  thing."  They  roll  it 
"as  a  sweet  morsel  under  their  tongues,"  though  it 
hath  in  it  the  very  wormwood  and  gall  of  the  second 
death.  They  "are  raging  waves  of  the  sea,  foaming 
out  their  own  shame;  wandering  stars,  to  whom  is 
reserved  the  blackness  of  darkness  for  ever." 

For  the  want  of  a  better  apology,  a  profane  man 
once  replied  to  my  reproof,  "  I  would  rather  be  a 
L 


134  CAMP   AND   FIELD. 

swearer  than  a  hypocrite."  Some  of  my  readers  may 
find  it  difficult  to  credit  the  statement,  that  any  sane 
man  ever  offered  so  shallow  a  vindication  of  his 
vicious  habit.  I  solemnly  assure  them,  however, 
that  I  knew  such  a  case ;  and  he  was  not  only  a  sane 
man,, but  a  shrewd  man,  a  lawyer,  a  logician,  and  a 
military  officer  of  high  rank.  So  irrationally  do 
wicked  men  reason,  because  their  practices  are 
wholly  indefensible.  If  they  had  better  arguments 
to  offer,  they  would,  no  doubt,  adduce  them.  "Bather 
be  a  swearer  than  a  hypocrite?"  Is  there,  then, 
any  such  alternative  ?  Must  a  man  be  the  one  or 
the  other?  Are  all  persons  hypocrites,  who  do  not 
swear  ?  Are  none  sincere  but  the  profane  ?  Is 
blasphemy  the  best  proof  of  veracity  ?  Would  you 
rather  trust  "him  that  sweareth,"  than  "him  that 
feareth  an  oath?"  Nay,  verily.  He  that  has  no 
reverence  for  the  Lawgiver,  has  no  respect  for  the 
law.  He  that  is  constantly  breaking  one  of  God's 
commandments,  would  not  scruple  to  violate  any  of 
the  rest?  Let  interest  or  passion  prompt  him,  with- 
out fear  of  punishment  or  unpopularity,  and  he  will 
trample  upon  them  all.  I  should  expect  the  profane 
swearer  to  lie,  and  cheat,  and  steal,  and  rob,  and 
kill,  and  commit  all  the  abominations  prohibited  by 
the  Decalogue,  if  he  could  do  so  without  infamy  in 
this  world  and  anguish  in  the  next.  There  is  no  ra- 
tional apology  for  the  practice. 

VII.  The  vice  must  be  ruinous  in  its  tendency  and 
results. 

It  is  a  well  known  truth,  that  the   frequent  repe- 
tition of  an  act  renders  it  more  and  more  facile,  till 


THE   OPEN  SEPULCHER.  135 

it  comes  at  length  to  be  performed  without  conscious- 
ness and  without  effort.     This  is   the  potent  law  of 
habit ;  and  it  applies  equally  to  the  action  of  muscle 
and  of  mind.     In  a  course  of  vice  it  operates  with 
tenfold  power,  because  "  man  is  very  far  gone  from 
original    righteousness,  and   of  his   own    nature  in- 
clined to  evil,  and  that  continually."     Every  act  of 
sin  tends  to  its  own  repetition  ;  and  the  oftener  the 
repetition,  the  stronger  the   tendency.     Eepetition, 
thus  produces  habit;  and  habit  forms  character,  and 
confirms  it  forever.     "  No  one,"  says  Juvenal,  "  ever 
arrived  suddenly  at  the  summit  of  vice."    The  spark 
becomes  a  flame,  and  the  flame  rises  and  spreads  till 
it  envelopes  and  consumes   the  building.     The  rock 
starts  slowly  from  the  mountain  top,   but  acquires 
velocity  and  power  in  its  progress,  till  it  leaps  over 
all  obstructions,  or  carries  every  thing  in  its  course. 
Such  is  the  career  of  the  profane  swearer.     The 
youthful  amateur  in  this  infernal  art  at  first  shudders 
at  the  sound  of  his  own  voice ;   but  by  little  and 
little  his  conscience  becomes  seared,  till  he  can  curse 
without    compunction    and    blaspheme   without    a 
tremor.     And  from  dealing  so  lightly  with"  things  of 
the  utmost  sacredness  and  solemnity,  all  feeling  of 
reverence  for  God  and  his  Holy  Word  is  lost. 

"One  sin  another  doth  provoke;" 

and  perjury  follows  in  the  train  of  profanity  ;  and 
all  sorts  of  profligacy  and  crime  find  countenance 
and  encouragement  in  the  practice  of  a  single  vice. 
For  vices,  like  virtues,  grow  in  clusters,  as  certain 
serpents  in  South  America  congregate  together,  and 
build  themselves  into  formidable  pyramids. 

"Ill  deeds  are  doubled  with  an  evil  word;" 


136  CAMP   AND    FIELD. 

"  the  wicked  is  snared  by  the  transgression  of  his 
own  lips  j"  and  thus  the  statement  of  St.  James  is 
verified,  that  "  the  tongue  is  an  unruly  evil,  full  of 
deadly  poison.'7  And  the  influence  does  not  termi- 
nate upon  the  sinner  himself;  for  uevil  communica- 
tions corrupt  good  manners ;"  and  the  sin  spreads, 
with  epidemical  celerity,  through  the  company  and 
the  regiment ;  more  contagious  than  small  pox,  and 
more  destructive  than  plague,*  not  only  "defiling 
the  whole  man,"  but  polluting  the  whole  camp, 
demoralizing  the  whole  army,  and  charging  the 
atmosphere  everywhere  with  articulate  blasts  of  hell ! 
Nor  is  this  the  end.  u  The  fool's  mouth  is  his 
destruction,  and  his  lips  are  a  snare  to  his  soul." 
The  profane  breath  kindles  the  unquenchable  fire. 
"  Because  of  these  things  eometh  the  wrath  of  God 
upon  the  children  of  disobedience."  Every  vain 
oath  is  noted  in  the  book  of  doom.  He  who  has  so 
often  challenged  the  Almighty  Vengeance  to  the 
damnation  of  his  own  soul,  shall  meet  with  a  terrible 
response  to  his  imprecation  when  God  ariseth  to 
judgment;  and  he  who  has  so  impiously  consigned- 
others  to  the  place  of  eternal  torment,  shall  be  asso- 
ciated there  with  the  wretched  objects  of  his  execra- 
tion, or  shall  see  them  admitted  to  the  abodes  of  the 
blessed,  while  he  sinks  beneath  the  dreadful  sentence, 
"  Depart,  ye  accursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared 
for  the  devil  and  his  angels  1"  How  fearful  are  these 
words  of  the  Psalmist!  words  of  prophecy  rather 
than  of  prayer :  "As  he  loved  cursing,  so  let  it 
come  unto  him ;  as  he  delighted  not  in  blessing,  so 
let  it  be  far  from  him;  as  he  clothed  himself  with 


THE   OPEN  SEPTJLCHER.  137 

cursing  like  as  with  his  garment,  so  let  it  come  into 

his  bowels  like  water,  and  like  oil  into  his  bones ;  let 

it  be  unto  him  as  the  garment  which  covereth  him, 

and  for  a  girdle  wherewith  he  is  girded  continually." 

And  so  shall  it  be  fulfilled  in  hell,  where  the  impious 

breath  shall  blow  the  eternal  flames,  and  the  ear  that 

once  delighted  in  such  horrid  dissonances  shall  find 

no  relief  from  the  everlasting  din 

"  Of  curses  loud  and  blasphemous,  that  make 
The  cheek  of  darkness  pale!"       . 

VIII.  Finally, — Profanity  is  especially  unbecom- 
ing in  a  Confederate  soldier. 

'■  Sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people ;"  but  to  us  more 
than  to  any  other.  We  are  engaged  in  a  glorious 
~  campaign,  fighting  for  the  dearest  rights  of  man,  for 
our  pleasant  heritage,  our  personal  liberty,  our  very 
lives,  and  lives  more  precious  than  our  own,  against 
the  most  infuriate,  fanatical,  unprincipled,  diabolical 
flood  of  human  filth  and  infidelity  that  the  old 
dragon  ever  vomited  forth  upon  a  civilized  country, 
v  "  In  the  name  of  our  God  have  we  set  up  our 
banners,"  and  in  his  good  providence  do  we  trust  for 
the  success  of  our  arms.  And  shall  we  wantonly 
insult  him  whose  aid  we  expect  and  implore?  Shall 
we  offend  our  Almighty  Ally,  till  he  becomes  our 
enemy  and  fights  against  us? 

It  is  not  surprising  that  our  invaders  should  curse 
and  swear.  They  have  drawn  the  sword  in  the 
service  of  Mammon,  of  Moloch,  of 'Lucifer,  of  Beel- 
zebub, and  blasphemy  beseems  them  best.  Like 
Satan  himself, 

"They  come,  of  hellish  malice  full, 
To  scatter,  tear,  and  slay  ;" 
L* 


138  CAMP  AND   FIELD. 

and  oaths  and  imprecations  accord  perfectly  with 
their  fiendish  motives  and  aims.  But  we,  who  are 
engaged  in  a  holy  warfare  of  self-defence ;  we,  who 
stand  forth  in  the  name  of  God  to  support  the  gov- 
ernment we  have  organized;  we,  who  rush  to  arms 
for  the  protection  of  our  wives,  daughters,  sisters  and 
mothers,  from  insult  and  outrage  of  the  most  brutal 
and  diabolical  character ;  we,  who 

"  Strike  for  our  altars  and  our  fires, 
Strike  for  the  green  graves  of  our  sires, 
God  and  our  native  land;'' 

we  ought,  above  all  things,  to  refrain  from  a  practice 
so  incompatible  with  the  cause  we  vindicate  and  the 
faith  we  cherish,  a  practice  so  offensive  to  Heaven 
and  so  fatal  to  ourselves. 

Why  is  profane  language  in  the  army  made  pun- 
ishable by  an  act  of  Congress?  Why  is  the  law 
incorporated  in  the  Articles  of  War,  as  "a  solemn 
admonition  to  our  officers  and  soldiers?  Why  do 
we  all  pledge  ourselves,  on  entering  the  service,  to 
conform  to  these  rules,  and  profess  to  be  governed 
by  them  in  the  camp  and  on  the  field  of  battle? 
And  whjr  did  the  Father  of  his  Country  remonstrate 
so  earnestly  against  the  introduction  of  profane 
swearing  among  our  ancestors  in  arms,  during  their 
struggle  to  extricate  themselves  from  the  burden  of 
the  British  yoke?  Has  alt  this  no  aim  or  meaning? 
impious  sense  of  dependence  upon  Jehovah,  and  a 
humble  trust  in  his  providential  aid,  underly  these 
enactments  and  warnings  and  pledges.  And  how 
lean  we  hope  for  the  help  of  a  Grod  whom  we  neither 
fear   nor   love,   and  whose  law  we   will  not  obey? 


THE   OPEN   SEPULCHER.  139 

"Who  hath  hardened  himself  against  him  and  pros- 
pered ?" 

"Because  of  swearing  the  land  mourneth. " 
Nothing  else  has  discouraged  me  so  much  as  the 
prevalence  of  this  most  abominable  of  all  abomina- 
tions. But  when  I  have  been  ready  to  despair  on 
account  of  it,  I  have  consoled  myself  with  the 
thought,  that  an  all- wise  God  mercifully  discrimi- 
nates between  the  cause  we  contend  for  and  the 
character  of  its  defenders ;  and  that  he  will  bless  the 
former  for  its  righteousness^  though  he  send  the  latter 
to  hell  for  their  wickedness. 

The  opinion  of  some  among  us  seems  to  be,  that 
their  souls  arc  safe  because  they  are  waging  a  good 
warfare;  and  however  vicious  their  lives,  they  hope 
to  'be  accepted  at  last  for  their  patriotism.  It  is  a 
deplorable  delusion.  Piety,  not  patriotism,  is  the 
passport  into  Paradise.  What  I  does  any  one  imagine 
that  he  will  enter  the  City  of  God  because  he  has 
faithfully  served  his  country,  though  he  die  with 
v  blasphemy  on  his  tongue  ?  He  may  be  the  best  and 
bravest  of  soldiers,  but  he  must  repent  of  his  pro- 
fanity, or  he  is  lost  forever;  as  certainly  as  he  ever 
invoked  or  defied  the  wrath  of  Heaven. 

Robert  Hall  characterizes  this  sin,  in  the  language 
of  the  apostle,  as  the  "superfluity  of  naughtiness," 
and  adds:  "It  can  be  considered  only  as  a  sort  of 
peppercorn  rent,  in  acknowledgment  of  the  devil's 
right  to  superiority.  '  *  *  *  If  we  attempt  to 
analyze  it,  and  reduce  it  to  its  real  motive,  we  find 
ourselves  at  a  1<>ss  to  discover  any  other  than  irre- 
ligious ostentation,  a  desire  of  convincing  the  world 


140  CAMP   AND    FIELD. 

that  its  perpetrators  are  not  under  the  restraint  of 
religious  fear.  But  as  this  motive  is  most  impious 
and  detestable,  so  the  practice  arising  from  it  is  not 
at  all  necessary  for  that  purpose,  since  the  persons 
who  persist  in  it  may  safely  leave  it  to  other  parts  of 
their  character  to  exonerate  them  from  the  suspicion 
of  being  fearers  of  God.  *  *  *  They  are  in  no 
danger  of  being  classed.with  the  pious,  either  in  this 
world  or  in  that  which  is  to  come,  and  may  safely 
spare  themselves  the  trouble  of  inscribing  the  name  of 
their  master  upon  their  foreheads.  They  are  not  so 
near  to  the  kingdom  of  God  as  to  be  liable  to  be 
mistaken  for  its  subjects." 

Let  me  entreat  all  who  may  read  this  Paper, 
especially  those  who  arc  righting  for  Southern  free- 
dom and  independence,  to  cease  at  once  and  forever 
from  this  shameful  sin.  Is  it  not  high  time  there 
were  a  reformation  of  tongues  in  our  army  ?  "  Who 
is  on  the  Lord's  side  ?  let  him  come  unto  me."  Who 
will  renounce  cursing  and  swearing,  and  do  all  he 
can  to  suppress  it  among  his  comrades  ?  Soldiers,  I 
appeal  to  you  as  rational  creatures,  capable  of  dis- 
criminating between  right  and  wrong ;  I  appeal  to 
you  as  social  beings,  influencing  others  by  your 
example  to  good  or  evil ;  I  appeal  to  you  as  moral 
agents,  accountable  to  God  for  the  use  of  your  noble 
faculties  of  reason  and  of  speech ;  I  appeal  to  you 
as  Southern  patriots,  desiring  the  welfare  of  your 
country,  the  prosperity  of  your'governmcnt,  and  the 
happiness  of  generations  to  come ;  I  appeal  to  you 
as  Confederate  warriors,  committing  your  righteous 
cause  to  the  God  of  battles,  acknowledging  his  hand 


THE   OPEN   SEPULCHER.  141 

in  all  jour  former  victories,  and  looking  for  his  aid 
in  every  future  conflict  and  campaign ;  I  appeal  to 
you  as  men  and  officers,  my  brothers  all,  and  fellow 
sufferers  in  this  glorious  struggle — sharers  of  a  com- 
mon nature,  subjects  of  a  common  redemption,  and 
expectants  of  a  common  immortality  ;  and  I  beseech 
you  by  every  high  and  holy  consideration  that  can 
move  the  human  heartr  to  discontinue  and  discounte- 
nance a  practice  so  degrading  to  your  manhood,  so 
corrupting  to  your  morals,  so  insulting  to  your 
Maker,  so  injurious  to  your  comrades,  so  unfriendly 
to  your  country,  so  unfavorable  to  your  success,  and 
to  pernicious  to  your  souls  t 


■* 


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CAMP  AND  FIELD. 


>«-^-  *~ 


THftE    SEOOMD    BOOK? 


WILL  BE  PUBLISHED  IMMEDIATELY. 


THJ3    FOLLOWING   IS    THE   TABLE    OF   CONTENTS 


I.  MISCELLANEA.  :     i 

II.  CONFEDERATE  FAST. 

III.  BENJAMIN  F.  BUTLER 

IV.  GENERAL  DONELSON. 
*  V.  THE  CALM  CENTER. 

VI.  THE  STORMY  CIRCUMFERENCE. 
YH.  CHANCELLORSVILLE. 
VIII.  STONEWALL  JACKSON. 
IX.  ROMANTIC  STEBPLE-CHASE. 
X.  WISDOM  versus  WEAPONS. 


